A New Beginning
by The Inimitable Enigma Cypher
Summary: The year is 1932. What happens when a prominent scientist comes to America and soon finds himself wrapped up in a conspiracy bigger than he can handle? AU: Not of any particular comic or movie verse. Rated "T" for language. Complete.
1. The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

**A New Beginning**

_by Enigma Cypher_

**Chapter One: The First Day of the Rest of Your Life**

_New York City, circa 1932..._

To many, New York City was considered the gateway to a new life. When people saw the Statue of Liberty in the harbor, they saw her as a symbol of freedom, to live life as they wished. When they first set foot on Ellis Island, they could feel their old life slip into the past, and their new life begin.

That's how Otto Octavius saw it, as he stepped from the boat that had carried him and others to America, August 7th, 1932.

Octavius himself had left his native homeland of Germany due to problems that slowed down his research. At 24 years of age, he wasn't the tallest man alive, standing at 5'9. He had short brown hair(which most people back home considered odd), and brown eyes. He had to wear glasses, as he was severely nearsighted.

He took a look around and noticed the number of people who were there, waiting to get into the country as he himself was. He got in one of the shorter lines and waited to be checked out. You had to go through an inspection to get in, a procedure he found useless, in some cases.

Finally he was at the front of the line, and found himself standing there as the inspection officer looked him over, and finally asked, "What is your name, age, and country of origin?"

Octavius looked at the officer and said, in a heavy German accent, "Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius, 24 years of age. Born in Germany."

The officer nodded and wrote the information down. The process of getting the required information took much longer than Octavius would have liked, but there was nothing he could do about it...

Finally the officer let him enter, and Octavius took his first step into the country he now called home...

--

_2 hours later..._

By this time, Octavius had checked himself into a motel for the night, and was lying on the bed, the lights dimmed, staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

He was brought out of it, however, by a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" he asked, not moving from the bed.

The voice on the other side of the door said, in a faint Queens accent, "I'm a messenger. Can you please come open the door? I'm not allowed to enter the room otherwise..."

Octavius sighed and got up from the bed, walking to the door and opening it.

There stood a boy no older than 18, light brown hair and hazel eyes. He was holding out what appeared to be a bottle of fine wine. "I was asked to give this to you. You are Dr. Octavius, correct?"

Octavius looked at the boy oddly. "Yes, I am. And who might you be?"

The boy responded with, "I-I'm Peter Parker..."

Octavius took the bottle and asked, "And who is this from?"

Parker stood up straighter and stated, "It's from Norman Osborn...I'm not sure you'd know him...but he requests that you meet him at his office tomorrow at 10...I have the address-" here, Parker pulled a slip of paper from the pocket of his coat, "-he'd like to see if you'd accept a position in his company. He owns one of the better laboratories in the city, and he's heard of you."

Octavius raised an eyebrow at this. "He's heard of me? How?"

Parker said, "I'm not exactly sure...well, I have to leave now..."

Octavius nodded and pulled out a few bills of money and handed them to Parker. "Thank you for the message. Now if you'll excuse me..." With that, he shut the door and walked over to the window. The curtains were drawn, but he pushed one open with a finger, squinting in the still bright light of the setting sun.

_Perhaps I shall go meet this Norman Osborn... _he thought to himself. _I'd love to be able to get back to my research as soon as possible... _

With that, he let the curtain fall closed and walked back over to the bed, sitting on the edge, looking at the slip of paper that Parker handed him.

_Hmm...1017 Lexington Ave... shouldn't be too hard to find..._

He set the slip of paper on the nightstand and stood up, walking towards the door.

_Can't be any harm in taking a walk around the city, _he thought. _Maybe I can find somewhere around here that has some decent food...haven't had anything edible in a week..._

With that, he left the building, making sure to remember the address so he would be able to find his way back.

He took a step into the street, when suddenly he found himself jumping out of the way to avoid getting rammed by a fast-moving cart.

He hit the ground hard, but he got up and shouted, "Why don't you watch where you're driving!? Are you blind, drunk, or just ignorant!?"

The cart stopped, and a man stepped out. The man had short blond hair, and blue eyes. The oddest thing about him, Octavius noted, was that his right arm...there wasn't one. His arm ended at the shoulder, leaving his right side bare.

The man ran over to him and said, "I'm so sorry about that... I honestly didn't see you there! I was distracted, and all of a sudden you were just _there _and... are you alright?"

Octavius shrugged and said, "I'm fine... at least I got out of the way... it wouldn't exactly be a good thing if I wound up in the hospital my first day here, would it?"

The blond man said, "First day? What, did you just move here?"

Octavius leaned against a lamppost and said, "Actually, I emigrated here... couldn't continue my research back home..."

The blond man looked at him for a moment, then his eyes widened.

"You're Doctor Otto Octavius, aren't you?"

Octavius looked at him oddly.

"Yes...why do you ask?"

The blond man said, "You don't know? You're somewhat famous, among scientists here..."

_Is this man joking!? _Octavius thought to himself. _I'm not __**that**__ well-known...am I?_

The blond man continued, "I might as well introduce myself. I'm Dr. Curtis Connors." He stuck his hand out to shake.

Octavius shook his hand and said, "Well, I must be going...do you know of anywhere around here where I might be able to get something to eat?"

Connors shook his head and said, "Sure...if you don't mind me saying, do you mind if I join you? I figure you're new here, maybe I could, I don't know..."

Octavius shrugged again and said, "Sure...why not?"

Connors nodded and said, "I'll give you a ride...this city's not easy to navigate, y'know..."

Octavius looked around and said, "So I noticed..." With that, he stepped into the cart and took a seat beside Connors, who got the cart going down the road again.

For several moments there was an awkward silence, before Octavius finally spoke.

"So...what is it, exactly, that you do?" He asked Curt.

Curt, not taking his eyes off the road, replied, " I teach Physics at the University here... I was actually on my way home earlier..."

Octavius nodded, but said nothing more.

It was silent for the rest of the ride until Connors stopped the cart and said, "We're here."

Octavius looked over at Connors and said, "And where, exactly, is 'here?'"

Connors stepped from the cart and said, "A local restaurant. I think you'll like the food here… I come here for lunch every day; it's not too far from E.S.U."

Octavius stepped from the cart as well, and Connors led him into the restaurant.

The man at the counter noticed Curt and said, "Hey, doc, back already?"

Curt nodded and said, "Yeah, I wanted to show him…" here, he gestures towards Octavius, "this place. This is Dr. Octavius. He's new in town."

The man at the counter grinned. "Looks like ya finally found someone just like you." He looked at Octavius. "New in town, eh? Where are ya from?"

Octavius looked at the man, his face expressionless. "I emigrated here from Germany, actually. There were issues back home that interfered with my research. If there's one thing I cannot stand, it is interference with my research. Hence, I came here."

The man whistled and said, "Well, guess I'll show you two to a table, then." He walked from behind the counter to an empty table. Octavius and Curt took a seat, and the man said, "I'll bring ya a menu in a minute," and walked away.

It was silent for a minute before Connors asked, "So… how long have you been in America?"

Octavius looked up from the table and said, "Only a few hours, actually. I had to spend a week on a ship. The rough water made it miserable, and the sound of crying children drove me to the brink of insanity. I barely slept the entire trip."

Connors nodded and said, "Sounds bad. Sounds like you're glad to be off the ship."

Octavius leaned back in his chair and said, "Precisely. I can only take so much of that misery. I could not get off of that ship fast enough."

It was then that the man came back with 2 menus. He put them on the table without a word, and walked away.

Connors watched him leave, then turned back to Octavius.

"So, where are you staying now?"

Octavius picked up the menu and said, "As of right now, I've got a room in a motel. I'm trying to find somewhere to take up residence."

Connors looked down at his own menu and said, "I know someone who could probably find you a good place. There's a building downtown that's been unoccupied forever. You might be able to get that place."

Octavius nodded, but did not say anything more about it...

--

The two stayed for 5 hours talking, and Octavius did not get back to the motel until past midnight. He planned to meet Connors the next day for lunch as well.

When he finally got back to the motel, he saw a note on the door. It had his name on it. He removed it from the door and walked into his room, the lights still dimmed like he had them earlier.

He sat in the desk chair and read the note:

_Dr. Octavius-_

_Hope you had a safe voyage into the country. Sorry I couldn't talk to you earlier, but I had business to take care of. I look forward to meeting you tomorrow._

_-Norman Osborn_

Octavius set the note on his desk and walked over to the window. The moon was full, although clouds were threatening to overtake the sky. He finally removed his coat, threw it in the chair and collapsed onto the bed, turning out the lights. It had been a very long day...

--

_Meanwhile, at Osborn Industries..._

Norman Osborn sat behind his desk, his feet propped up on it, talking to one of his top scientists, Mendel Stromm.

"Mr. Osborn, are you sure about this?" Stromm began. "I mean, you know nothing about this man, and you're going to offer him a position?"

Osborn rolled his eyes and said, "You're right. I don't know anything about him. Which is why I called him here for a meeting tomorrow. I want to meet him in person."

Stromm continued, "And if this turns out to be a mistake?"

Osborn sat up straighter, folded his hands in his lap, and stated, "Then I won't hire him. Look Stromm, I know what I'm doing: Otto Octavius is one of the world's leading minds. He knows more about radiation and its effects than any man alive, and he's only 24. Since he's now in America, he'll need somewhere to continue his work. If I can convince him to come here, it can only bode well for this company. I intend on offering him a position, with or without your opinion. If you don't like it, feel free to resign."

Stromm began to say something, but thought better of it and walked from the office instead.

Osborn sat back in his desk, a confident smirk on his face.

_It's about time we found someone who can put this company on the map... _he thought. _I know I am right. I know this is a good decision. And I know that no one's going to stop me from getting what I want..._

_-To be continued..._


	2. Opportunities and Incidents

**A New Beginning**

**Chapter Two: Opportunities and Incidents**

_9:00 am..._

Octavius awoke the next morning to someone knocking on the door. He turned over and put the pillow over his head, hoping the knocking would stop and the person would go away.

Then he remembered: he was supposed to meet Norman Osborn at 10 am...

_Oh, right... I forgot about that..._

"Alright, I'm UP!" He shouted to the person knocking on the door, and the knocking stopped.

He reluctantly crawled out of bed and got himself ready, then walked out of the motel, towards Osborn Industries...

--

"Mr. Osborn, I'm still unsure about this..." Stromm was still trying to convince Osborn to think twice about this meeting with Octavius.

Osborn rolled his eyes and said, "You're never sure of anything. As I told you last night, if you have any issues with this, you can leave."

Stromm was about to say something else when Octavius walked into the office.

Osborn whispered to Stromm, "Keep your mouth _shut..." _then walked over to Octavius, extending his hand.

"Ah, yes, you must be Dr. Octavius. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Octavius shook Osborn's hand and said, "Likewise. I was actually hoping an opportunity would present itself to continue my research as soon as possible... that _is _what this meeting is for, correct?"

Osborn nodded and said, "Of course. I've heard great things about you."

At this, Octavius was no longer surprised, but he took a seat and said, "I didn't think I was _that_ well-known in America..."

Osborn took his own seat behind the desk and said, "Oh, yes. Just about every scientist in this country has heard of you."

Octavius remained silent for a moment, before saying, "If I may ask... how did you know I was even coming to America?"

The room was silent a moment more before Osborn said, "I have my methods... let's just leave it at that."

Octavius was slightly perturbed at this, thinking that Osborn had been spying on him, but the thought passed. "Of course... so... what, exactly, would you have me working on?"

Osborn shrugged and said, "Exactly what you were working on in your homeland. I am offering you a place of research, Doctor. You would be working in _your_ area of expertise."

Octavius raised an eyebrow. "And what would _you_ get out of it?"

Osborn simply nodded. "Suspicion, I see. I am the same way. Very well... since you would be working under my supervision, part of the credit for any discoveries made would go to the company. But this is not to say I would get _all _the credit, of course, since the discovery itself would be yours."

"Well, of course." Octavius replied, leaning back in the chair. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"But wait, there is more." Osborn said. "You would be given complete access to _any_ materials you may need for your research. Carte blanche. I think you'll go far with this company. So... do you accept?"

Octavius thought for a moment and said, "I'll do it. I'm in."

Osborn stood up and nodded. "Excellent. I assume you can start tomorrow?"

At this, Octavius shrugged. "It's not like I have anything else to do."

"Excellent." Osborn said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Octavius did not say anything as he left the office. He appreciated this opportunity... but there was something about Osborn that Octavius didn't like... but he didn't know what...

Stromm had been standing in the corner the entire time, motionless. Finally he spoke up.

"So, Norman, do you still think this is a good idea?"

Osborn simply smirked.

"Of course. He'll put this company on the map where it belongs."

"And if he figures out what you're truly up to?" Stromm said, an edge to his voice.

At this, Osborn laughed outright.

"That shouldn't be too much of a problem. He should be easy to convince. And if not... well, I don't think anyone would be wont to notice if he went missing... would they?"

Stromm inwardly shuddered at what Osborn was insinuating, but he said, "N-No sir."

Osborn said, "I thought you'd say that. Now leave me. I have something to attend to."

He watched as Stromm left the office, a cruel smirk on his face.

_I know I can convince him of my plan, if he discovers it. And if I can't... well, he won't be around much longer, will he?_

--

_30 minutes later..._

"Hey, Otto, glad you could make it!" Curt Connors said as he saw Octavius enter the diner they had been to yesterday. "What have you been up to?"

"Hello yourself, Curt." Octavius said as he took a seat. "I was in a meeting with Norman Osborn. He left me a note yesterday saying he wanted to meet with me. He offered me a position in his company. I accepted."

Curt nodded and said, "Well, that's great! You've been here less than a day, and you've already got a job."

Octavius looked down at the table and said, "Yeah... there was something about Osborn, though... something's not right with that man, and I don't know what it is..."

Curt looked concerned at this. "Well, I have heard rumors that he's got somewhat of a shady past... I don't know if it's true, though. I don't think you'll have a problem with that."

Octavius cocked his head and looked at Curt, a doubtful look on his face. "Have you even _met _him?"

Curt shook his head and said, "O.K, I've never met him. But how bad can he be? I mean, he's one of the city's most well-known businessmen. I don't _think_ you'll have a problem, but don't quote me on that."

At that, Octavius rolled his eyes, a slight smirk on his face. "If you say so."

Curt snickered and said, "Well, glad to see you agree with me. Hey, I went to see the guy who owns the building I mentioned yesterday. He said he'd be willing to cut you a deal on it, if you're interested."

Octavius looked out the window of the diner and said, "Well, I'll have to see the place first. Where is it?"

Curt pulled a piece of paper from his jacket and wrote down an address. "It's somewhere in the East Village, that's what he told me. I'll see if I can help you find it later."

Octavius would have replied to that, but that's when _she _walked in...

The woman had long brown hair, eyes the color of slate, and a slightly exotic look to her. She caught Octavius' attention quickly...

Curt looked at Octavius and said, "Hey, Otto, did you hear me?"

Octavius did not respond. Curt waved his hand in front of Otto's face to get his attention, but Octavius pushed it down and said, "Who is that woman?"

Curt looked at the woman of which he spoke and said, "Her? That's Rosalie Harris. She teaches English at the University. I've never actually talked to her, but I've seen her around."

Octavius could say nothing as he gazed upon her, his heart pounding. He had to shake his head to clear it and said, "What were you saying about that place in the..." He broke off when he saw the grin on Curt's face.

"What are you smiling about?"

It took Curt a second to respond, but what he said surprised Octavius...

"You like her, don't you, Otto?"

Octavius stumbled over his words. "N-No, I don't."

"You're a terrible liar." Curt said, still smiling. "Come on, I'll introduce you."

Octavius said, "I-I couldn't! I don't even _know _her!"

Curt said, "No, I'll introduce you. Come on." He grabbed Octavius by the arm and pulled him away from the table. Octavius tried to pull away, but in a few seconds he found himself standing before Rosalie.

"Hello, Miss Harris?" Curt said. "I believe you know me? I teach physics at E.S.U-"

Rosalie looked up at Curt and smiled. "Of course. You're Curt Connors. I've seen you in the halls." She stole a glance at Octavius. "Who's your friend?"

Curt said, "I'll let him introduce himself," and stepped back.

Rosalie looked up at Octavius and said, "Hello there."

Octavius could not respond.

"What's your name?" Rosie said, with a slight smile on her face.

Octavius scratched the back of his neck and said, "I-I'm Otto Octavius..." He looked back at Curt, who gave him the thumbs-up, then turned back around. "Um... so, I, uh... heard you teach English at t-the university here..."

Rosie nodded and said, "Yes, I do. English Literature, to be precise."

Octavius could think of nothing to say. Rosie finally said, "Would you like to come over to my apartment tonight? We could talk there, I have to leave in a few minutes."

Octavius just nodded, still unable to speak.

Rosie said, "O.K, great." She wrote down her address and handed it to Octavius, then said, "So, I'll see you tonight at 7?"

Octavius pocketed the paper and said, "S-Sure..."

Rosie smiled and said, "Great. See you then," and walked out.

Octavius watched her leave, then suddenly everything went black...

--

He woke up to water being splashed in his face. When he woke up, he saw the face of Curt Connors, kneeled over top of him.

"Hey, Otto, are you awake? Answer me."

Octavius only looked up at Curt and said, "Don't... make me do that again. I'm serious."

Curt couldn't help but laugh. "Aw, come on. What was I supposed to do? It's obvious you liked her." He helped Octavius to his feet, then said, "Sorry, but I couldn't watch you miss the opportunity."

Octavius said, "The opportunity to what? Make an idiot out of myself?"

Curt said, "No, the opportunity to meet her. I think she likes you. Otherwise she wouldn't have invited you over tonight."

Octavius shook his head and said, "I swear to God, if you do that again, I'll-"

Curt cut him off. "Yeah, we'll see what you say after tonight." He had to try and hold back the laughter that was threatening to overtake him, but it was too much. He doubled over in laughter and said, "I'm sorry, Otto, but you should have seen the look on your face... I wish I had a camera to catch it."

Octavius whacked Curt in the back of the head and left the diner, but Curt ran after him.

"Alright, Otto, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you would blank like that. It's just..." he laughed again, then said, "I thought you'd be able to talk to her."

Octavius looked at Curt and said, "I have _no_ experience with women! The only woman I've ever really been able to talk to was my mother! I have absolutely no idea how to talk to them!!"

At this, Curt stopped laughing.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I seriously thought you'd be able to handle it."

Octavius did not respond.

Curt was silent for a moment before he said, "Alright, you have no idea how to handle women, but you can't walk out on this date."

Octavius said, "It's _not _a date!"

Curt said, "Whatever. Either way, we've got to figure out what to do with you."

Octavius growled, "Right now, the only thing _I'm_ trying to figure out is how to beat you senseless without crippling you for life."

Curt said, "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. But seriously, what are we going to do with you?"

Octavius rolled his eyes and said, "How should I know? As I said, I have no idea how to handle women."

They were silent a moment more before Curt said, "Alright, I'll help you."

Octavius was slightly apprehensive about that...

"Help me how? _You _got me into this situation in the first place."

Curt said, "I'll give you a few tips. I could-"

Octavius cut him off. "O.K, I see where _this_ is going. I do _not _need this in my life right now. I just got here! I don't even have my own place yet!"

Curt said, "But you will soon. My point is, we _don't _need you going in there and making an idiot out of yourself."

Octavius shook his head and said, "Well, of course not. I've done that enough today, thanks to _you_."

Curt said, "That's why I'm offering to help. Come on, I'm _married. _I'd definitely say I have experience with this sort of thing. So, do you want my help or not?"

Octavius thought on this, then said, "Do I _want _your help? No. Do I _need _it?" He sighed and said, "Unfortunately, yes."

Curt nodded and said, "Glad I could be of assistance..."

--

_Several hours later..._

Octavius was standing at Rosie's door, trying not to black out yet again. He had tried to talk Curt out of making him go, to no avail.

_What am I _doing_ here!? _He thought to himself. _I'm going to make an idiot of myself again!! _

He knocked on the door, waited for a minute as footsteps approached the door, and then Rosie was standing there, looking at him and smiling.

"Glad you could make it, Dr. Octavius." Rosie said. She motioned for him to enter. "Come in?"

Octavius entered the apartment, looking around. He was trying to keep Rosie from noticing the barely-disguised panic, so he took a seat at the table, not saying a word.

Rosie closed the door and walked over to the kitchen counter, grabbing a pitcher of something and walking back to the table.

Octavius tried to think of something to say, but only one thing came to mind...

"How did you know of my title? You called me 'Dr. Octavius." I don't remember telling you about that."

Rosie laughed slightly at that and said, "Oh, Curt told me that much. We talked for a while earlier. You don't have to be nervous to talk to me, you know. I don't bite."

Octavius looked down at the floor, not able to think of something to say.

Rosie looked at him a minute, before saying, "So, you're from Europe? Germany, I'm assuming?"

Octavius nodded, but didn't respond.

Rosie grabbed one of the glasses on the table and poured a glass of whatever was in the pitcher, then handed the glass to Octavius. He took it and said, "What is it?"

"Oh, it's tea." She poured herself a glass, then said, "So, Curt told me about your reasons for coming to the States. He told me you were quite the eminent scientist over there..."

Octavius looked up and said, "I couldn't continue my research. Too many problems with the rules over there... they get stricter almost every day...

Rosie nodded and said, "Well, hopefully you'll find life here easier..."

Octavius didn't respond to that. He just looked at the clock on the wall.

_I've only been here 5 minutes!? Please just kill me now..._

"Um, Ms. Harris..." he said, "Do you have a bathroom?"

Rosie said, "Sure. It's right down the hall."

Octavius walked down the hall, shut the door, and turned on the faucet. Splashing some water in his face, he looked in the mirror.

_Come on, Octavius... _he thought to himself. _You've handled tougher situations than this... you can handle this..._

He opened the door to walk back to the table, but suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over him, and he blacked out.

Rosie heard a 'thud' in the hall and walked over to see what it was. She saw Octavius lying on the floor unconscious, and ran up to him.

"Otto! Are you alright?" she said. Kneeling down, she looked him over, then picked him up and laid him on the couch. She grabbed a chair from the table and sat beside him, waiting for him to wake up.

_Is he really _that _afraid? _she thought to herself, laying her hand on his head, pushing the hair out of his face. _I can't imagine why..._

She sat there for 10 minutes before he started to wake up. Rolling over, he looked at her, half-asleep.

"W-What happened to me?" He said, only half-awake.

Rosie looked at him sadly. "You blacked out. Are you really that scared of me?"

Octavius closed his eyes and said, "It's not you... I... I'm just not good with women..."

Rosie laid her hand on his shoulder, surprised when he flinched slightly.

"I was worried about you. I've never seen someone that afraid of a lady before. If I may ask... why is that?"

It was several seconds before Octavius replied, in a near-whisper, "I've never been well-liked by the ladies... they always thought of me as a lesser being, mostly because of my intelligence... and because I... well, I was never the toughest person out there... I'd always get beaten up by the other young men... the athletes and such... I was bigger than a lot of them, but they... they were just tougher."

Rosie looked saddened at this. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

Octavius muttered, "I didn't expect you to..."

Rosie nodded at that. "Of course..."

Octavius sat up on the couch and looked at the clock.

"Was I really out for 10 minutes?"

Rosie said, "Yes, you were... mind if I sit next to you?"

Octavius said, "It's your house..."

Rosie moved from the chair, over to the couch, and said, "That it is..."

They sat there for a half hour or so, just talking, him not as much as her, until Octavius checked the clock, stood up and said, "Well, I'd better get going..."

Rosie said, "Wait, where are you staying?"

"I've got a room at a motel a few blocks from here..." he replied indifferently.

Rosie shook her head and said, "No, you can stay here for the night, if you wish."

Octavius thought on that, before saying, "I suppose it would be preferable to having someone beat my door down in the morning to wake me up..."

Rosie laughed at that.

"Otto Octavius, you are a very strange man."

Octavius shrugged and said, "So I've been told."

Rosie laughed again and said, "At least you can admit it."

"Well, of course," Octavius replied, a half-smirk on his face. "Where would I be if I couldn't?"

Rosie said, "I suppose you're right."

They were both silent, until Octavius said, "Well, I'm really tired, I think I'll go to bed for the night."

A smirk crossed Rosie's face as she said, "Oh, that blackout didn't help?"

At this, Octavius snickered.

"No. If anything, it made me even more tired than I already was."

Rosie said, "Alright then." She walked towards her room and said, "Well, goodnight then." she smiled and closed the door.

Octavius returned to the couch and laid down, looking up at the ceiling.

_And here I thought yesterday was the weirdest day of my life... _

_-To be continued..._


	3. Unplanned Occurrences

**A New Beginning**

**Chapter Three**

_9:00 am, next morning..._

"Otto, it's time to wake up."

Octavius looked up to find Rosie standing over top of him. She has woken him up because she knew that he was to go to Osborn Industries this morning.

He sat up and said, a smirk on his face, "Well, that's exponentially better than having someone pounding on my door early in the morning."

Rosie smiled at him and said, "I figured you'd think that." She walked over to the window to open the curtains, but Octavius stopped her.

"Could you please leave them shut until I leave?"

Rosie was confused. She asked, "Why?"

Octavius looked over at her.

"My eyes are extremely light-sensitive. I'm lucifugous. That's why I carry around a pair of sunglasses with me. Without them on in the sunlight, I'm all but blind."

Rosie nodded and said, "Alright, I'll leave them shut then." She walked into the kitchen and said, "Is there anything you'd like? Something to eat, perhaps?"

Octavius shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks anyways..." He got himself ready for the day and walked over to Rosie.

"Well, thanks for letting me stay here last night."

Rosie said, "Think nothing of it. You know..." here she looked at him with a coy grin, "...you can't stay at the motel forever, you know. If you wish, you could stay here until you get your own place."

Octavius said, "N-No, I couldn't possibly-"

Rosie cut him off. "Yes you can. I wouldn't mind. It's not like I have anyone to talk to and, quite frankly, I enjoy your company."

Octavius thought for a moment before saying, "Well, if it's really alright with you..."

Rosie smiled and said, "O.K, great! It'll be a nice change to have someone to talk to."

Octavius looked at his watch and said, "Well, I've got to go now. I'll have to go back to the motel to pick up my belongings after I get out at 6, then I'll be back." He headed towards the door, but turned back and said one last thing, "I really appreciate this, Rosie. Thanks." He then walked from the building, and Curt was already there with the horse cart.

"Hey, Otto!" Curt said as he saw Octavius leave the building. "How'd it go last night?"

Octavius got in beside Curt and said, in mock annoyance, "If you must know, I lost my nerve and blacked out, then came to on her couch. We got along fine from there, and now she's offering me a place to stay until I can find my own."

Curt whistled at that as he got the cart going. "Dang, you've known her less than a day, and already on the fast track to-"

Octavius whacked him in the back of the head. "No, we're _not _dating. She's a friend."

Curt said, in an impish voice, "Yeah, that's what everyone says, then next thing you know you're at the altar..."

Octavius cut him off.

"HahahahahaSHUTUP. It's not going to end that way."

Curt said, "If you say so..."

--

Octavius stepped from the cart 10 minutes later, after they had reached Osborn Industries. He looked back at Curt and walked towards the building. They had agreed that Curt would meet him here at 6 to pick him up.

He walked through the front door of the imposing facade he had entered yesterday, this time, heading for a different part of the building. Osborn's office had been on the top floor; the laboratory was actually one story underground, as the work there was secret.

After descending the 3 flights of stairs, Octavius got his first good look at the lab.

_Wow... this has got my lab back home beat hands down..._

"Well, Dr. Octavius," came a voice from behind. "You're here early."

Octavius looked back to see Osborn standing behind him.

"Yes... I wanted to see what I would be dealing with here..."

Osborn nodded and said, "Just what you're used to dealing with, I suppose... so... is there any questions?"

Octavius shook his head. He still didn't know what it was about Osborn, but Octavius just wanted him to go away.

Osborn said, "Well, I'll allow you to set up and get your bearings for a while, then I'll give you a project to work on."

With that, he left the room.

Octavius took a few minutes to look around the lab. It was a lot better equipped than the ones he was used to.

He was in the middle of setting up his area when he looked behind himself and saw a kid, looked about 18...

"Aren't you Peter Parker?" Octavius asked.

Parker looked at Octavius and said, "Yeah. I'm not really a messenger boy, you know. Actually, I'm kind of an apprentice here."

Octavius raised an eyebrow at this. "You take an interest in science?"

Parker nodded. "Of course! That's my favorite subject!! I've followed your work, you know."

Octavius was actually impressed at this.

Parker said, "Well, I've got to go see Mr. Osborn. I'll talk to you later." With that, he walked towards the door.

Octavius watched him leave, then looked around the lab once more. Having finished setting up his area, he decided to take a walk around the lab.

Slipping back into the room unnoticed, Osborn stood behind the somewhat bewildered Octavius. "Is everything to your liking?" he asked once he was sure Otto hadn't noticed him.

Octavius jumped slightly at that, turned around and glared at Osborn. "Don't DO that!!" he shouted.

"Do what?" Osborn asked, a forced innocent expression flashing across his face.

Octavius glared harder and took a step forward. "Don't play stupid with me!! You snuck up on me!! Don't do that!!"

"Oh? My most... humblest apologies, Doctor! I had not meant to startle you," a wry smile crossed Osborn's lips as he spewed out lies. "Now, you did not answer my precious question! Is everything about your workplace to your liking? Or is there anything you require? I will be sure to have the _boy _fetch anything for you."

_No wonder I don't like this man... _Octavius thought. _He's nothing but a second-rate moron who thinks he's God._

"Yes, everything's fine." he replied. "At the moment, there is nothing I need..."

_Except for you to get the hell out of my face..._

"Good. Then I hope you enjoy working with us Doctor! ... You will surely be a ... valued asset to my company." And with that statement, Osborn left the room.

Octavius watched as Osborn left the room, then leaned against the table, shaking his head.

_God, what did I get myself into? This man can't be on the level..._

--

_6:30 pm..._

Octavius got back to Rosie's apartment a few minutes later than expected.

Not that it mattered to Rosie, who was sitting on her couch, reading a book.

Octavius put his suitcase in one of the table chairs and sat down beside her.

"Hi, Otto." She said cheerfully. "How was your day?"

Octavius looked over at the window, in which the curtains were open. There was no need for them to be open; it was winter. The sun had gone down an hour ago...

He looked over at the book Rosie was reading.

"What are you reading?" He asked her.

"Shakespeare," she responded back. "Have you ever read poetry, Otto?"

At this, Octavius shook his head.

"Not really... actually, not at all."

Rosie looked up at him.

"You've _never _read poetry? My God, you're missing out." she said with a sad smile.

Octavius shrugged. "I... honestly was never the poetic type."

Rosie sighed and said, "Well, to each their own, I suppose..."

They were silent for a moment more before Rosie put down the book and said, "Well, I'm going to make dinner. Is there anything in particular you'd like?"

Octavius shook his head.

"No, I think anything you make is fine..."

Rosie nodded once and walked into the kitchen.

Octavius sat there for a moment before looking over at Rosie's book on Shakespeare.

_This is probably going to be a mistake, _he thought, _but what harm could it do?_

He reached over and grabbed the book. Opening it up, he turned to the page Rosie had left off on. He read for about a minute before realizing he had _no idea _what Shakespeare was talking about.

Rosie walked back in the room to find Octavius holding the book, a look of utter bewilderment on his face.

She was about to say something, when Octavius closed the book and said, "O.K, I have absolutely no idea what he was talking about here. This mind was not meant for poetry!!"

Rosie couldn't help but laugh at this.

"Alright, Otto, let me explain it..."

Octavius growled at this, prompting Rosie to start laughing again.

"Come on, Otto, I'll explain it."

"Rosie, come on..." he started, but Rosie would hear none of it.

The two sat for close to an hour, her explaining, him reluctantly listening. When she was done, she said, "So... what do you think?"

Octavius sat there for a moment before saying, "Poetry... it's harder than advanced science."

Rosie laughed outright at this and said, "If you say so..."

The two sat silent for a moment, before Rosie said, "So, tell me about your life before you came to America. What was your childhood like?"

Octavius looked down at the floor. He was not comfortable talking about his childhood, and Rosie sensed his reluctance.

"You didn't have a very good childhood, did you, Otto?"

He didn't look up at her as he shook his head no. Flashes of his past came back to him, and he shook his head to clear the images that haunted him.

Rosie said, "Otto, what's wrong?"

No response.

She was about to say something, but he spoke first.

"Well, it was my father more than anything... my mother was supportive of everything I did, but my father... he was the complete opposite. He... he tore me down at every opportunity. Sometimes with words... and sometimes..." he broke off, unable to go on, but Rosie understood.

"I'm sorry... no one should have to go through that."

Octavius did not respond, so Rosie continued, "Is there any other part of your life you feel like talking about? I know so little about you..."

They talked for a while as he explained to her just what his life had been like. How he gained his Ph.D in record time, how he was among the first people to witness the power of radiation at work, and after about a half hour, he had nothing left to say.

Rosie just nodded and said, "Well, it would appear that you've led quite an interesting life."

Octavius just shrugged and said, "I guess you could say that..."

Rosie was silent for a moment, then she put her hand to his face, turning his head as she looked into his eyes.

"You know, you have a strange ability for being able to charm someone without even realizing it."

Octavius looked away with a half-grin on his face. "Oh, is that so?"

Rosie nodded. "Yes. Without question."

Their faces were only inches apart, the space between them seemed charged with energy. Seemingly without realizing it, Rosie closed that distance, pressing her lips against his. He flinched, pulling back, then looked at her. Then, his hand, which had been on her shoulder only a second ago, slipped behind her head as he pulled her closer, kissing her back. It seemed like the entire world had stopped in that moment, and they were the only people on the planet that truly mattered.

Suddenly, Octavius pulled away and looked at Rosie, a somewhat confused look on his face. Without warning, he jumped off the couch and ran into the room that was to be his own, shutting and locking the door. He took a seat on the edge of the bed, trying to figure out what just happened.

Rosie, like Otto, was trying to figure out what had just happened. She had acted rashly, out of impulse more than anything. The trigger to her impulse was that he had told her about himself, something she knew he had never talked about with anyone before. The moment had been so... intimate. She had felt that she should share something special with him as well, but he had denied it in a sense.

Octavius sat there a moment more, than walked over to the door, hesitating a second before quietly opening the door and standing in the doorway. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to look at her...

She heard him open the door, and she couldn't bear to look at him either. _He isn't ready for a relationship_, she thought, trying to justify his actions. "Otto?" she questioned his presence. "I'm sorry. I was a bit too forward. I'm normally not like that... I just... lost control for a moment. Please forgive me?"

Octavius didn't respond for a moment before walking over to the couch and taking a seat beside her. "Of course... I... I just panicked... I'm not used to that kind of... affection..." he said, sounding somewhat embarrassed. "As I said yesterday... I'm not experienced with women..."

Rosie was silent for a moment, before looking at him and said, "I understand completely. I didn't mean for that to happen at all."

The two were silent before Octavius said, "Well, I'm going to take a walk around the city... I just need to clear my head."

Rosie nodded and said, "O.K. I'll see you when you come back."

Octavius did not respond as he grabbed his black trenchcoat from off the back of the chair. Putting it on, he left the apartment, walking into the cold night air. He looked up at the moon.

_Good night for a walk, _he thought to himself. _Let's just hope I don't get lost in this city..._

_-To Be Continued..._


	4. Imbeciles and Explosions

**A New Beginning**

**Chapter Four**

It had been 6 weeks since Octavius had moved to the US. By this time, him and Rosie had both gotten over that night, and were officially a couple, even if they had no intention of marrying anytime soon. Him and Curt were also good friends, and they usually met at that diner every day for lunch.

The situation with Octavius and Norman Osborn, however, was far from resolved...

It was just another long night for Octavius. He was hard at work on a personal project of his, one that would allow him to work safely with radiation from a distance. He hadn't even asked Osborn for clearance to build the device.

_I do not answer to that charlatan... _he thought as he worked tirelessly on the device. _He is not my commander. All he has done is provide me a place to continue with my life's work... he'll do well to remember that._

Then, it was finished. The project he had been working on for the better part of 4 weeks...

He stepped back and took a look at it. It was a strange 4-limbed apparatus; 4 "tentacles" attached to what looked like a steel girdle, to be worn around the waist.

_Not even sure if it'll work... _he thought._ But I suppose there's no better time to try it out..._

He stepped up to the device and, as if by thought, it began to move. It "stood up" on the ends of the four arms and raised itself over his head. He stood stock-still as it lowered the "girdle" over his head, attaching itself to his midsection.

He looked like a human octopus.

Then, suddenly, Norman Osborn entered the room, took a look at Octavius, and his eyes went wide.

"Whoa, Doctor Octopus. What's with the device?"

Octavius turned around to glare at Osborn.

"_What _did you just call me?" he growled, one of the tentacles unconsciously making a threatening gesture near Osborn's head.

Osborn pushed the tentacle away and said, "Sorry, the resemblance is just too obvious to miss." He smirked and said, "Anyways, what are you still doing here? It's past midnight."

Octavius shook his head and did not respond as he began to shut down the lab for the night.

_Doctor Octopus? _he thought._ Where the hell does he come up with these ridiculous insults?_

Osborn said, "Well, I expect you'll be out of the lab in 10 minutes? Good. Make sure to turn the lights off when you leave. I'll see you in the morning, Doctor." He then left the room.

Octavius glared at him as he left, then, without warning, he picked up an empty glass bottle off of his desk and hurled it at the door that Osborn had just closed. He debated leaving the device in the lab, but thought better of it, should Osborn decide to tamper with it, put on his black trenchcoat to conceal it, and left the lab, keeping the lights on out of sheer defiance.

He walked down the darkened streets, keeping to the shadows when he could help it. After all, most people were supposed to be off the streets by 10 pm, and it was well past midnight. Not to mention, he didn't exactly want to draw attention to himself...

All of a sudden, a young man stepped out of the darkness, an evil look in his eyes, a steel bar in hand.

Octavius just looked at him and said, "What do you want?"

Suddenly, the man with the bar swung, striking Octavius in the head, knocking him to the ground.

Octavius put his hand to his head, feeling that there was a gash where he had been struck. He glared up at the man holding the bar, who was poised to strike again.

"You're going to wish you hadn't done that..."

Then, Octavius stood up, the 4 tentacles bursting from his coat. The man dropped the bar and tried to run, but Octavius grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and threw him into the wall.

The man hit the wall and fell to the ground, visibly stunned, then got up and took off running.

Octavius looked around to make sure no one had seen what just happened. Fortunately, he was the only person out that time of night. The tentacles disappeared back under the coat, and he continued home.

When he got home, Rosie was already in bed. Octavius took off the coat, hid the tentacles somewhere for the night, and walked into the bathroom to get a closer look at the cut on his head. It wasn't too deep, but the blow itself gave him a fierce headache. He cleaned the cut, bandaged it up, and walked into the bedroom, not turning the light on to avoid waking up Rosie. He crawled into his own bed, as him and Rosie didn't share one, and went to bed.

--

_The next morning..._

Octavius awoke the next morning, the sun shining painfully bright in his face. The lingering headache from last night made it worse, and he stumbled over to the window, yanking the curtains shut.

This, of course, served to wake Rosie up.

She sat up in bed, rubbing her forehead, took one look at Octavius, and said, "My God! What happened to your head!?"

Octavius put his hand to the cut on his head and said, "Oh, that... I was attacked last night. It's nothing major..."

Rosie jumped out of bed and ran up to him, putting her hand to the cut. "Nothing major!? How is that not major? What happened!?"

Octavius sat back down on his bed and said, "A man struck me with a steel rod. I scared him off."

Rosie said, "And you didn't contact the police!?"

Octavius shook his head and said, "Rosie, it was after midnight when it happened. And I couldn't get a close look at the man. There was nothing to do."

Rosie just looked at the floor and said, "What is it with people? Why would they do something like this?"

Octavius' only reply was "Because people nowadays are nothing but an assortment of Neanderthals with about as much intelligence as a comatose sloth."

Rosie couldn't help but laugh at this.

"I agree with you there."

Octavius was about to respond, but a look at the clock had him out of bed quickly.

"Oh, no, I'm late!! I'll see you tonight, Rosie!!" He slipped into the tentacle harness, threw his coat on over top of it, and ran out the door before Rosie had a chance to see it.

--

"Dang, Otto, I didn't imagine you as the type to sleep late." Curt said as he and Octavius approached Osborn Insustries. "What happened last night?"

Octavius shook his head.

"Don't ask. Late night at the lab, combined with an attack from a common thug who didn't know who he was messing with..."

Curt just looked at the road, a disappointed look on his face.

"The nerve of some people... wait, how'd you scare him off?"

At this, Octavius responded with, "I can't exactly show you out in the open... but you know those actuators I was working on?"

Curt nodded and replied, "Of course... wait... tell me you didn't attack the man with them!"

Here, Octavius got defensive, and he looked at Curt, slightly annoyed.

"He attacked me first. And I had to wear them home; I didn't want Osborn tampering with them. They're under my trenchcoat as we speak... I had to hurry up and get out of the house quickly this morning so Rosie didn't see them... I don't know what she'd make of all this."

It was then that they arrived at Osborn Industries. Octavius walked into the building to find Osborn standing at the front desk.

"What happened to that device you built last night?" Osborn asked, a rather annoyed look on his face.

Octavius glared at Osborn as he took off his coat to reveal the tentacles underneath.

"You mean the actuators that _I_ built, and therefore are _my _property?" he shot back, walking past Osborn towards the lab. "I took them with me. I will not leave them here for you to experiment on." As he opened the door to the lab, he looked back at Osborn. "And while we're on the subject, when I'm working on something, do not interrupt me! And do NOT give me orders. You may have given me a place to continue my research, but you are NOT my superior. Not in authority, and surely not in intelligence." With that, he shut the door before Osborn could respond.

Osborn stood there for a minute before walking into the lab himself. He stood in the doorway for a moment before walking towards Octavius.

"You know, I don't tolerate that kind of behavior from someone working under my roof..."

Octavius looked over at Osborn with a look that clearly implied the desire to hit him with a heavy object, and said, "I think you've mistaken me for someone who actually cares what you think!! If I cared one bit for anything you say to me, I'd listen, instead of telling you to get the hell out of my sight, and let me finish what I'm obviously doing!!" He turned away from Osborn and continued setting up the experiment he was preparing to conduct.

Osborn just shook his head and stalked out of the lab, heading back towards his office. When he got there, he locked the door, only to have someone knock a mere 5 seconds later. He opened the door to find Stromm standing there.

"Sir, what just happened in the lab? I heard the entire thing... what was all that about?"

Osborn sat back at his desk, leaving the door open, leaning his head against his closed fist.

"An issue with a certain someone questioning my authority..." he growled, shaking his head.

Stromm took a seat across from Osborn and said, "Well, was it taken care of?"

Osborn shook his head and said, "Not at all, I'm afraid... if I was not in need of his assistance on this project, he wouldn't be here."

Stromm said, "Well, is there any thought that you may have hired him too-"

Osborn cut him off and said, "Too early? Not at all. Look, Mendel, I know what I was doing when I hired him. He may be extremely difficult to work with, but there is no denying his brilliance. I can't think of anyone else with the expertise required for a job such as this. But when this particular job is over... he won't be around to interfere, will he?"

Stromm did not look pleased at this.

"Sir, you can't just do THAT to him! Someone is bound to know he'd be missing!"

Osborn put his hand up and said, "Save it. No one shows such disrespect to me, not even Otto Octavius himself."

Suddenly, a third voice spoke up...

"IS THAT SO!? And do tell, what do you intend on doing to me!?"

Osborn looked up to find Octavius himself standing in the doorway, and he did not look at all happy with what he had just heard...

_Oh shit... I didn't expect he'd hear that... _Osborn thought, standing up behind his desk.

Stromm looked somewhat frightened at Octavius' sudden appearance in the doorway, now wearing the 4-limbed device he had been working on.

"So, what? What do you intend on doing to me once you get what you want?" Octavius shouted at Osborn. "You intend on killing me, perhaps? Is that it?"

Osborn tried to come up with a response.

"No, Doctor, of course not. You must have heard wrong-"

Octavius cut him off. "No, I'm quite sure I heard correctly. I am far from stupid, Osborn!! You think I wouldn't know what you were saying? I catch on pretty quickly, you know! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just kill you now before you can do the same to me!"

It took Osborn several seconds to come up with a response, but he finally said, trying to fight back a smirk, "You know, I don't know what I was thinking. Why would I want to kill one of the world's most prominent scientists, especially when he could be of use to me?"

Octavius snarled and took a step towards Osborn. "You mock me?"

Osborn unconsciously took a step back and said, "No, of course not. Look, I'm willing to put this behind me if you promise NOT to kill me. Agreed?"

Octavius just shook his head before stomping out of the office.

Stromm watched Octavius walk off, a somewhat impressed look on his face. Luckily for him, Osborn didn't notice as he took a seat, somewhat shaken by what had just transpired.

Stromm walked out of the office and headed for the lab, leaving Osborn alone in his office. He walked into the lab to discover Octavius standing against the far wall, glaring at nothing in particular.

Stromm walked up to him and said, "You'll have to excuse him, he can be quite the asshole..."

Octavius looked over at him with that same glare and said, "I believe the term 'asshole' is an understatement for one such as him... he's been planning to kill me the entire time, hasn't he?"

Stromm did not respond.

At that, Octavius shook his head and growled, "I'd leave this company now if I had another place to continue my research... but it would appear I do not. You just tell Osborn to stay away from me."

Stromm said, "I'll make sure of it." and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Octavius glared at the closed door a moment more before picking up a heavy metal paperweight and hurling it at the door. It rebounded off the heavy steel door with a resounding crash.

He walked back towards his experiment that he had not yet begun to conduct.

Just then, Osborn walked into the lab.

Octavius took one look at him and snarled.

"I thought I told you to stay out of my sight."

Osborn walked up to the lab bench and said, "Yes, I know you did. But right now, there is something I need you to work on for me-" He trailed off as he saw the glare that Octavius was giving him. If looks could kill, Mendel would have had to sweep up Osborn's incinerated remains off of the lab floor.

"I do NOT work for you, Osborn." Octavius growled. "You said it yourself; this would be a place for me to continue _my _research, _not _carry out _your _experiments. Now get out of my face."

Osborn sighed and said, "I understand that. But I can't just let you work here for nothing. You have to understand-"

He was suddenly knocked to the floor as Octavius punched him in the jaw. He put his hand to his face and said, "What the _hell _was that for!?"

Octavius glared down at Osborn and said, "That? Quite simply, for presuming to command me, AND for the earlier incident in your office. I do not take orders from you, Osborn!! I am not one of your mindless workers who will carry out your orders without question! I do not take orders from one such as you!! You want me to work on your project? I want something in return: for you to stay the hell out of my face while I am working. You will STOP giving me orders, and you will NOT attempt any stunt like the one I heard you planning earlier. If you cannot abide by these conditions, I will find somewhere else to go. Is that understood? Or must I spell it out for you?"

Osborn backed up a few steps before stumbling to his feet.

"Fine... fine. I'll leave you alone." He pulled a folded piece of paper from the pocket of his jacket. "Here are the basic specifications of what I need it to be able to do." He then stomped put of the lab.

_Don't do anything you'll regret, Osborn... _he thought to himself. _It will be worth it in the end... and I'll get my revenge._

Octavius glowered at the closed door a moment more before unfolding the slip of paper and looking it over.

_A device that could increase the electrical energy of any machine? What would he possibly need with a device like this? _he thought to himself. _Still, it should be relatively easy to build... I could have it finished within a few hours._

He gathered the neccessary materials and set to work on it...

--

_3 hours later..._

Osborn was sitting in his office, feet propped up on the desk, when Mendel walked in, carrying the finished device.

"He told me to bring it to you..." Mendel said, setting it on his desk.

Osborn picked up the device, looked it over, and said, "Excellent! Where is he?"

"He doesn't want to talk to you," Mendel said, somewhat apologetic. "He's still angry about what happened earlier, and, quite frankly, I don't blame him."

Osborn looked up from the device, an irate look on his face.

"And what do you mean by that?"

Mendel took a step towards the door and said, "Oh... nothing. Sorry..."

Osborn rose from his chair, slowly but with visible anger, and snapped, "What, you agree with him now!? You're taking his side over mine?"

Mendel stuttered, "N-No, I didn't mean that a-at all..."

Osborn said, "We'll see how much you agree with his point of view after I use this little device to ruin him for good. Oh, and another thing: you're fired! Get out of my office!!"

Mendel glared back at Osborn and said, "I thought you'd never say that. I've been waiting for the day you fire me, you pompous asshole!! You know, it's easy to see why people like Otto Octavius wish you dead..." With that, he walked out of the office, making sure to slam the door as hard as he could.

Osborn put his head to the desk, and screamed.

"WHY DOES THIS CRAP HAPPEN TO ME!?"

--

Meanwhile, Octavius was standing in the doorway to the lab, looking at the door to Osborn's office. He saw Mendel stomp past, heard Osborn scream, and he couldn't help but smirk at what had just occurred.

He walked back into the lab, grabbed his coat and put it on over the actuators, and left the building. He'd had enough of Osborn and his imbecilic tendencies for one day.

--

Rosie was somewhat surprised when Octavius walked into the apartment. It was barely 4:00, and he wasn't usually home until sometime around eleven at night.

"You're home early..." she said to him. "Slow day at the lab?"

"You might say that," he replied, taking off his trenchcoat, forgetting what he was wearing underneath...

Rosie looked at him, wide-eyed.

"WHAT is that contraption you're wearing!?" she yelped.

Octavius looked down at the tentacles. He had completely forgotten about them.

"Oh, these? I developed them to handle dangerous materials from a safe distance." He said, a slight smile on his face. "Guess I forgot I was wearing them... I just finished them yesterday. I don't want Osborn experimenting on them." At the mention of Osborn's name, an angry look crossed his face and he shook his head.

Rosie looked at the device a second more before the shocked look disappeared, and she smiled.

"I feel like going out to dinner tonight. I need to get out of the house for a few hours. I haven't gone out for a night out in far too long." she said.

Octavius started to protest, but Rosie gave him 'the look' that implied that there would be no arguments.

He sighed and said, "Fine... anywhere in particular you had in mind?"

--

The two wound up at a restaurant in the Upper West Side, near Central Park. They had walked; it wasn't too far from their apartment, and it was a nice night for a walk.

They walked into the restaurant, which was filled with people, as it was a Friday night, found a seat, and before long, a waiter came up to the table.

"And what will you be having tonight?" he asked, with a strong Brooklyn accent.

Rosie looked down at her menu and said, "I'm up for something exotic tonight. What about you, Otto?"

Octavius did not look up for the table as he muttered, "Whatever sounds good to you..."

The waiter nodded and walked away. Rosie looked over at Octavius and said, "What's wrong?"

"I don't like crowds..." he whispered, somewhat embarrassed.

Rosie nodded, but said nothing more about it. Instead, she said, "So, what happened today between you and Osborn today? You looked noticeable upset when you came home today..."

Octavius shook his head and said, "I don't want to talk about it."

They were both silent a moment more before Rosie said, "Is something going on?"

"I told you, I don't want to talk about it."

Rosie was about to say something, when suddenly the sound of a large explosion cut through the air. Both Rosie and Octavius looked out the large picture window at the front of the restaurant, only to see a cloud of smoke overtaking the street.

Rosie said, "What do you suppose-"

Octavius ran towards the door, looking back in time to see Rosie staring at him. He said, "You go home. I want to see what that was. I'll be home soon." With that, he ran from the building and towards the building that was now engulfed in flames. He was a mere 20 feet away from the building before he realized...

_Wait a second... this is the main offices of Quest Research! What happened here?_

Without warning the building started to collapse, pieces of brick falling from the crumbling ten-story building. Octavius turned to escape before he himself was endangered, but a falling chunk of brick hit him in the head, and he fell to the ground, out cold...

--

Octavius awoke to find Rosie standing over him, visibly concerned. He was still lying on the street where he had fallen after the brick hit him in the head. He looked around to find that the fire was extinguished. Now the firefighters were just concerned with cleaning up the aftermath.

"What happened to me?" he asked, still dazed.

Rosie knelt beside him and said, "You were hit by a falling brick. Why did you get that close?"

"I recognized the building... Did they figure out what happened?" he asked as he tried to get to his feet, faltered, and was caught by Rosie before he fell back down. "Heh... guess I'm still a little off..."

Rosie was about to respond, but one of the officers on the scene walked over to them.

"You really shouldn't be here right now," he said. He took a look at Octavius and noticed the cut on his head where the brick had struck him. "Hey, you alright? What happened?"

Rosie said, "He was hit by a falling brick. Knocked unconscious, but he's alright now..."

The officer looked at him a little closer before his eyes widened and a smile crossed his face.

"I think I know who you are..." he said.

Octavius looked at him oddly. "That's highly unlikely. I've never met you."

The officer's smile didn't falter.

"No, I know who you are! You're Doctor Otto Octavius!"

Octavius looked at him, unable to respond.

The officer stuck his hand out. "I'm Captain George Stacy. My daughter, Gwen, she's kind of a fan of yours."

Octavius shook his hand and said, "Is she, now?"

Capt. Stacy nodded and said, "Oh, yes. Her and her friend, Peter Parker. Good kids, they are..."

Octavius looked at the smoldering remains of the building and said, "Well, I must be going. I need to lie down..."

Capt. Stacy said, "Hey, wait, you sure you don't want one of our paramedics to check you out?"

Octavius shook his head and said, "No, I'll be alright..." With that, him and Rosie started walking back towards their apartment. When they got there, Octavius walked into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.

"God... hit in the head twice in one week by two separate objects... this is just not my week." he said as Rosie walked into the room.

"Sometimes that happens," she said, apologetic.

Octavius looked over at her a moment, before saying, "Well, I'm going to bed. I've got quite the headache from that brick..." He pulled the blanket over himself and turned out the light. But he couldn't help but wonder about what had happened...

_Quest is... or _was_, Osborn's main competition... could it be that he...?_

"I'm getting too suspicious..." he said to himself as he drifted off to sleep. It had been a long day...

_-To be continued... _


	5. Breaking Point

**A New Beginning**

**Chapter Five: Breaking Point**

_The next day, at Osborn Industries..._

By this time in the day, Octavius was in the middle of planning an experiment that he had been working on for almost 2 years. If it was successful, it would bring about a new source of energy for the world. He had been lucky to have Osborn not disturb him yet that day.

Unfortunately, good things don't last...

Osborn entered the lab and walked over to Octavius.

"Good morning Doctor..."

Octavius did not answer as he continued working.

Osborn rolled his eyes and said, "Shall I call you Doctor Octopus?"

"I don't have time for insults." Octavius growled as he finally looked up from the paper he had been working out a calculation on. "What do you want?"

Osborn leaned against the table and said, "Did you hear about the explosion at Quest Research last night?"

Octavius rolled his eyes and said, "I _saw _the explosion. I was standing there as the building collapsed." He put his hand to the gash the falling brick had left. "I guess I may have gotten a little too close..."

Osborn smirked at that, but Octavius didn't see it.

"That's bad to hear..." he said.

"Oh, save it." Octavius shot back. "I know you're anything but sincere when you say such things. Get out of my sight."

Osborn did not respond as he left the room.

_He was at the scene? Perfect... he's playing right into my plan..._ Osborn thought as he went back to his office.

Octavius worked on his project for several more minutes, then decided to go to lunch. He walked out of the building, only to find that it was raining. Lightning was flashing in the sky, the thunder rattling the windows of every building in NYC.

_And to think Curt's not actually supposed to show up for another hour or so... guess I'll have to walk..._

_--_

_2:07 pm..._

"Hey, Otto, did you hear what happened last night?" Curt said when Octavius walked into the diner.

Octavius took a seat across from him and said, "You mean the explosion at Quest? I saw it. I was hit with a falling brick when the building collapsed."

Curt whistled and said, "Wow... you were that close?"

Octavius nodded and said, "I was only a block away when the explosion itself occurred. I had run over to see what happened... got too close. The falling brick knocked me unconscious, apparently, since the next thing I remembered was Rosie standing over me..."

Curt just looked at him, wide-eyed.

"Sounds like you had one hell of a night..."

"You haven't the slightest idea..." Octavius muttered, looking out the window at the storm raging outside.

The two were silent for a moment, before Curt said, "So, I was wondering if you and Rosie would like to come over for dinner tonight? We haven't done that in a while."

"Sorry, Curt..." Octavius said, his expression apologetic. "I've got to work late tonight. I'm just about finished with my project, and I'm hoping to test it in a few weeks..."

"I understand completely." Curt said, nodding. "We'll try again another night, then."

"Sounds great." Octavius said, picking up his menu.

Just then, Norman Osborn walked into the cafe...

"Oh, no..." Octavius said, in a near-whisper. "What's he doing here!?"

Osborn walked up to the counter and said to the man working the register, "Hello, my name is Norman Osborn. This may seem like a stupid question, but have you seen Otto Octavius anywhere?"

Osborn's back was to him, so Octavius stood up and started waving his arms to get the attention of the man at the counter, shaking his head to tell the man to say no.

The man took the hint and said, "No, he's not here..."

Osborn narrowed his eyes and said, "Oh, he's not, is he?" Suddenly, he turned around, just as Octavius ducked under the table. Osborn didn't see him, and he walked out of the restaurant.

"Alright..." Curt said, sounding amused. "Mind telling me why you're trying to avoid Osborn?"

Octavius got back in his seat and said, "Because the man's driving me insane! He will not leave me alone! I'm one step away from throwing him from a rooftop somewhere..."

It took Curt everything he had not to crack up laughing, but he hid his amusement well.

"If you say so..."

Suddenly, Osborn re-entered the cafe and spotted Octavius.

"I _thought _you were here..." Osborn said, a smirk on his face.

Octavius put his head to the table and said, "Just when I thought I had avoided him..." He looked back at Osborn and growled, "What do _you _want? Can't I get away from you anywhere?"

Osborn took a seat and said, "I just wanted to talk to you about this project of yours." He picked up a fork off the table and began balancing it on his middle finger. "Fission, eh? Is that the basis of your project? I know you've been working on it for a while, but I never really knew the specifics of your project..."

Octavius did not answer.

Osborn raised an eyebrow, before saying, "Alright, apparently you don't want to talk. Any particular reason for this?"

At this, Octavius stood up out of his chair and walked towards the door. Osborn followed him and said, "Come on, you're going to have to tell me eventually..." He then put his hand to Octavius' shoulder to try and turn him around.

Suddenly, Octavius snarled, turned around, and belted Osborn in the jaw, knocking him to the floor. The entire restaurant went silent.

"Don't touch me, Osborn!! When will you understand that I DESPISE YOU!?"

Osborn got up off the floor, put his hand to his split lip, and said, "You're going to regret that..." He lunged forward and grabbed Octavius by the collar of his coat, pinning him against the wall.

Big mistake.

Without warning, Octavius punched Osborn again, breaking his grip on his coat and knocking him back a few steps. But Octavius had had it, and he pressed his attack further, grabbing Osborn by his shirt and driving his knee into Osborn's gut, knocking the wind out of him. Somewhere in the background, Curt said, "Otto, what are you doing!?" But the shout went unheard, and Osborn got to his feet, out for blood now.

Octavius was not about to give him that chance. He grabbed Osborn by the collar of his shirt again and yanked him off balance, sending Osborn crashing into a wall, his head hitting the plaster with a loud 'thunk!'

Osborn fell to the ground, conscious but stunned, and said, "Alright, you win, Doctor. You don't want to talk..." With that, he got rather shakily to his feet and walked out of the restaurant, thoroughly humiliated.

_I'm not going to let him get away with this... _Osborn thought._ But I can't just let him go... I'm still in need of his assistance... this is proving to be harder than I thought..._

Octavius glared at him as he left, then looked around the room at the stunned people who had been watching the fight. He shook his head and left the diner, still infuriated.

Curt followed him out and said, "Whoa... what happened back there!? I've never seen you like this!"

Octavius shook his head and said, "I don't want to talk about it."

Curt was silent a moment before saying, "But... what made you do something like that?"

Octavius looked back at Curt and said, in a tone that clearly implied barely contained rage, "I TOLD YOU I don't want to talk about it!! Why can't you just respect that and stop asking questions!?" With those words, he began walking faster, trying to get away from the situation. He really didn't want to talk to Curt right now...

Curt just stood there, stunned. He had _never _seen that side of Octavius before... it frightened him somewhat.

He just shook his head and turned around, heading back to his own place of work, hoping he'd be able to talk to Octavius later, to find out what this was all about...

--

_4:53 pm..._

Octavius stormed into his apartment a few hours later, still angry over what happened in the diner that day. He threw his coat in the chair and walked into the bedroom, noticing that Rosie had left a note on his bed. He picked it up and read it:

_I'm sorry for what happened today. Curt told me about the incident at the restaurant... I do hope we can talk about it later. We'd both like to know what's bugging you. I'll be back late tonight, I've got some work to do at the University tonight. I'll talk to you then. -Love, Rosie_

Octavius picked up a pencil and wrote his own note:

_I won't be home until later, either. I'm only here now to grab something, then I'm going back to work. I've got to complete my project soon. -O.O_

He left the note on her bed, walked out into the living room, and put his coat back on. He picked up a black notebook from the table and looked through it to make sure it was the right one. Sure enough, the schematics for the final part of his life's work were sketched on the first few pages. It was the final component necessary for his project, which was a small-scale nuclear reactor. He knew that, if all went well, it would provide a new source of energy for mankind.

_My greatest creation... my magnum opus. Soon, it will become reality..._

He smiled at the thought, slipped the notebook into his jacket, and walked from the building, back into the now weakening rainstorm.

_After this project is completed,_ he thought, _I'll never have to deal with the likes of Norman Osborn again. He thinks I'm going to help him out by completing this project... he's got another thing coming._

With that thought in mind, he headed back towards Osborn Industries... unaware of what he'd soon be facing when he got there...

_-To be continued..._


	6. The Man and the Machine

**A New Beginning**

**Chapter Six: The Man and the Machine**

_10:17 pm..._

Octavius was deep in work on the creation of his reactor late that night. He had told Osborn not to disturb him.

But Osborn had an irritating tendency of _never _listening...

"Hey. Doctor Octopus..." Osborn started as he entered the lab. "Stop what you're working on. I have another project for you to start on."

Octavius turned around, annoyed, his tentacles writhing behind him.

"Can't you see I'm busy, Osborn!? I have my own project to finish!! And _what _did I say about calling me that!?"

Osborn sighed and said, "Forget about it for now. Here's what I need you to work on..." He handed Octavius a small blueprint.

Octavius rolled his eyes and took the blueprint, unrolling it and looking it over. His eyes widened and his face turned white as he saw just what he was expected to work on...

"Norman, I can't possibly build this!! I-It could kill hundreds of people!! What do you even need this for!?"

Osborn smirked. "That, Doctor, is my own business."

The blueprint fell out of Octavius' hand as he said, "Wait a second... _you _were responsible for the explosion at Quest Research! That was YOUR doing!"

Osborn only nodded and said, "You're quite intelligent, Doctor. I didn't expect you to figure it out."

Octavius could only stare at Osborn, horrified. "H-How could you DO this!? You caused the deaths of many innocent people!"

Osborn stated, "_No one_ is innocent. Remember that device I had you build a few months ago?"

Octavius thought for a moment before he said, "You mean the one that would increase the energy of any machine? That one?"

Osborn nodded and said, "Do you know what device was found in the aftermath of the explosion?"

Octavius could only stare at Osborn, completely horrified.

"N-No... not my device! Y-You used it for the bomb!?"

Osborn smirked and said, "Yes. I did."

At this, Octavius fell to his knees, his hand to his head. "Y-You used my invention to kill people! How could you DO THIS TO ME!? I could be implicated for this!! I could lose everything! I could lose my life if they think I did it!"

Osborn laughed outright at this.

"Well, I couldn't possibly have them think _I_ did it. I have a multi-million dollar company to run."

At this, Octavius glared at Osborn, got to his feet, and walked up to him, a feral look in his eyes. He was noticeably shorter than Osborn, but that didn't make him any less threatening.

"So... you used me. I'm to be the one who takes the fall, is that it?"

Osborn nodded, that same hateful smirk on his face.

"That's it in a nutshell. Now, about that project..."

Octavius cut him off.

"I refuse to help you kill any more people! I'm already in enough trouble as it is, thanks to you!!"

Osborn frowned, and stated, "Alright, I'll give you a choice. Either you work on this project for me-"

"I REFUSE!" Octavius shouted.

"-Or I release your identity to the public. How would your lady friend, the entire public, in fact, react to the news that none other than Doctor Otto Octavius himself was responsible for that explosion?"

"THEY'LL NEVER BELIEVE YOU!" Octavius shouted, his hands shaking from what Osborn was insinuating.

"Or... I could just go after your lady friend. Rosie, I believe her name is? How would she like to know, in her final moments of life, that you were ultimately responsible for her death?"

In that moment, something inside Octavius snapped, and he grabbed Osborn with one of the tentacles, slamming him into the wall.

"I WON'T LET YOU HURT HER!!"

Osborn got up, noticing a tear in his suit.

"What a pity... this was my best suit." Osborn pulled out a small handgun from inside his jacket, leveling it at Octavius, pointing it at his chest.

"Well, I gave you a chance... I suppose I'll just have to go with Plan B."

Octavius snatched the gun before Osborn had a chance to fire. He threw it across the room and attacked Osborn again, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him in the wall.

Unfortunately, the wall Osborn had been thrown against was lined with many bottles of chemicals, many of which fell to the floor and shattered. As the chemicals mixed, a fire had started.

Osborn scrambled for the gun, but Octavius grabbed him by the leg and threw him across the room, not noticing the fire that had started, and which was now heading for the reactor...

Octavius picked up Osborn by the collar of his dress shirt and screamed, "IF YOU _EVER _THREATEN HER AGAIN, I SWEAR TO GOD, I'LL _KILL YOU!!"_

Osborn, surprisingly enough, started laughing. He pointed towards the reactor, which was now consumed in flames.

"Before or after the reactor does the same to you?"

Octavius looked over to see what Osborn meant. In that instant, he dropped Osborn and stepped back, terrified.

"Oh.. my... God... we need to GET OUT OF-"

But it was too late. In that instant, the reactor, which was still experimental, and which was loaded with radioactive material, succumbed to the flames and exploded in a ball of fire. Osborn had already ran from the building.

But Octavius had not been as fortunate. The force of the explosion sent him flying across the room. He slammed into a wall, which, already weakened by the fire, had collapsed under the force of his body hitting it. He was trapped under the rubble of the wall, only semi-conscious. He quickly realized that the entire building had begun to collapse, and he thought for sure he would be killed by the falling debris. Fortunately, the worst of the damage had missed him.

When the smoke and flames had cleared, he could hear the approach of a fire and rescue crew.

He began screaming for help, hoping someone would be able to reach him before it was too late. He was trapped under several hundred pounds of debris. But the smoke and the radiation he had been exposed to had overtaken him, and he slipped into unconsciousness...

--

"Hey, Captain, we've got one!" screamed one of the men in charge of the search and rescue mission, John Jameson. He had been searching through the debris, hoping he'd find any survivors.

Then he came across a man who had been trapped by falling debris. He had been lying facedown when Jameson had found him, and the first thing he had noticed were the 4 tentacle-like arms attached to his back.

Jameson pulled him from the wreckage and checked the man for a pulse. He found one, steady but weak. Satisfied to find that the man was still alive, Jameson turned him over to see who he was.

When he saw, his eyes widened.

"Otto Octavius!?" Jameson said, astounded.

It was then that Captain George Stacy had walked over to Jameson.

"Well, it seems we do." Capt. Stacy said, matter-of-factly. "Is he alive?" When Jameson nodded confirmation, Capt. Stacy asked, "What is that contraption he's wearing?"

Jameson said, "I have no idea whatsoever, Captain. But I do know his identity..."

Capt. Stacy said, "As do I. I think we'd better get him out of here..."

But at that moment, Octavius began to awaken. He started coughing, then looked up at the officers.

Jameson looked at Capt. Stacy, who knelt down and said, "Are you alright?"

Octavius did not respond.

Captain Stacy said, "Doctor Octavius, what happened here?"

Octavius looked up at him for a second, before responding, "I assume THAT much would be obvious..."

Then, another thought claimed him...

_Did they trace that device back to me? They can't arrest me!! I'll never be able to continue my research!!_

Capt. Stacy said, "Could you give us any details on what happened here tonight?"

Octavius shook his head and said, "You mean your ignorant minds can't figure it out for yourselves?"

Jameson said, "Doctor Octavius, we need to know. This is a very serious matter. We've gotten word from Norman Osborn that _you _were responsible for this incident, _and _the one at Quest Research. We'll have to bring you in for questioning."

At this, Octavius froze, staring up at the cops like a deer in the headlights.

"Wha-? NO!! I didn't do anything!! You can't arrest me!"

With that, he took off running on all 4 tentacles, away from the cops who started firing at him. He kept going until he was certain he was far away. He leaned against the wall, making sure no one was watching him. He then headed to the one place he could find refuge... but he wasn't sure how welcome he'd be...

--

Rosie was sitting back in her chair when Octavius stumbled into the apartment. He got just inside the door before he collapsed, landing with a 'thud' on the floor.

Rosie ran up to him, shocked.

"Otto, what's happened to you!? Answer me!!"

Octavius did not say anything as he looked up at her.

Rosie said, frantically, "Otto, please answer me!!"

Octavius finally managed to say, "An explosion... at the lab..."

Rosie said, "Oh my god... are you alright?"

Octavius shook his head.

"No, Rosie... I'm not.. I'm far from it..."

Rosie said, "Well, then we need to get you to a hospital, if-"

Octavius looked up at her and said, "N-No! I can't! Rosie... something's happened to me..."

That's when the 4 mechanical arms appeared from under the lab coat he was still wearing. Rosie stepped back and said, "My God..."

Octavius looked away and said, "The police believe I'm responsible for the explosion at Quest Research, and the one that occurred tonight... I... I have to hide, Rosie, until I can figure out a way to clear my name."

Rosie shook her head and said, "No, you don't have to-"

Octavius cut her off and continued, "No, Rosie, I can't put you in danger like this!" Suddenly, he got up and ran from the apartment, ignoring Rosie's cries for him to come back.

He ran outside into the developing snowstorm, hoping no one would see him. He began walking towards the home of Curt Connors, hoping he could help...

--

By this time, Curt was already asleep. He had to get up particularly early in the morning.

Hence, he was taken by surprise when Otto Octavius showed up at midnight, practically beating his door down.

Curt walked to the door and opened it and said, half-asleep, "Otto, what are you doing here? It's-" here, he yawned, "-past midnight."

Octavius said, "Curt, please... let me in. There's been an accident..."

Curt let him enter, then said, "What happened?" It was then, in the light of the room, that he was able to see for himself that something was not right with Octavius. He was scratched up all over, and there was a cut across his forehead, like he had hit his head on something...

"My God!! Did you get attacked or something!?"

"No..." Octavius replied, "But that seems like the better alternative... there was an explosion at the lab, Curt. Osborn is implicating me in the explosion and that at Quest. And the cops believe him..." he broke off, pointing to the spot on his arm where one of the bullets grazed his arm.

"And it only gets worse..."

Curt said, shocked, "What else is there?"

Octavius slowly unleashed the tentacles from underneath his coat, and Curt gaped at them.

"T-The actuators... what-"

Octavius looked down at the floor and said, "They're... fused to me, Curt. I cannot get them off. In the explosion... I... I was exposed to extremely high levels of radiation." He hesitated a second before saying, "I-I'm not even sure I'm going to survive to see another day."

Curt gasped and said, "I-It's that bad? What... how did it happen?"

Octavius hesitated before continuing, "Me and Osborn got into a fight. I... threw him against a wall. Several bottles of chemicals shattered and mixed, starting a fire, which consumed the reactor... it exploded, and Osborn escaped. I... I couldn't get out in time. I have to find Osborn and clear my name! I can't bring myself to tell Rosie about what really happened. Promise me you won't tell her!"

Curt said, "Otto, I think eventually-"

Octavius grabbed Curt by the shoulders, and Curt could see the desperation written in his face.

"Promise me, Curt! You must! I can't bear the thought of her knowing! If I am to die, I don't want her knowing exactly how!"

Curt turned away and said, "Alright... I promise."

Octavius said, "That's all I ask. I'll leave you alone for tonight."

Curt turned around to protest, but Octavius had disappeared into the night...

--

Several minutes later, Octavius was standing atop a building several blocks away, thinking on the situation.

Osborn had used him, implicated him in a crime he had not committed, and left him to die in the lab.

He knew something had to be done. Norman Osborn had to pay for his wrongdoings.

_Osborn wants to pin this on me?_ Octavius thought, angry.

_He dared to mock the genius of Otto Octavius... _he thought as he slipped on his sunglasses and began his climb down the building face.

_Now he'll face the fury of Doctor Octopus!!_

_-To be continued..._


	7. Dangers in the City

**A New Beginning**

**Chapter Seven: Dangers in the City**

_7:03 am, next day..._

Curt was woken up again by someone knocking on his door. He thought it was Octavius again, but when he opened the door, he was surprised to find Rosie standing there.

"Oh, god, Curt, I'm glad you're home... have you seen Otto anywhere? He's gone! I haven't seen him since he ran out of the apartment last night!"

Curt said, "Alright, come in. I need to talk to you..." He hated to go back on his word after telling Octavius he wouldn't tell Rosie, but she had to know...

Rosie entered the apartment and said, "You've seen him? Oh, Curt, where is he!? Do you know?"

Curt sighed and said, "Rosie, I haven't seen him since last night, either. Take a seat."

Rosie did so, and Curt sat down beside her and started, "Some of this may be hard to hear, but I think you deserve to know... from what he told me, during the explosion, Otto was exposed to very high levels of radiation. The actuators he developed? You know of them?"

Rosie nodded, thinking she only had a very bad feeling about this.

"They're fused to him. He'll never be able to remove them. And I have to tell you this so you're prepared for the worst..." here, he hesitated, "Considering the amount of radiation he was exposed to... Rosie, there's a very likely chance that Otto Octavius may not survive the next 48 hours."

Rosie put her hand over her mouth to stifle a sob. "W-Why didn't he tell me!?"

Curt didn't say anything for a few seconds, but finally: "I think he's going after Norman Osborn. He said something about having to clear his name... I think he intends on doing so, and... I think he's going to kill Osborn."

Rosie said, "We have to find him! Talk him out of it!! We have to get him some help!"

Curt said, "I do agree with you..." he walked over to the window and looked out over the city, "...but this is New York... 8 million people, and we're looking for one..."

--

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Octavius was perched on a rooftop, looking down at the figure of Norman Osborn, standing in front of the ruins of what had been his lab.

_You're going to pay for what you've done to me, Osborn... _he thought. _But not just yet... first, I have to prove to the world what you've done... _

He turned around to walk away, when he saw the strangest thing standing behind him. It was a man in red and blue spandex, of all things...

_Spider-man? I thought he was another urban legend..._

"Don't do it, Octavius!" Spider-man said. "I know what you're thinking..."

"Back away, Spider-man." Octavius growled. "This is none of your concern."

Spider-man took a step forward. "I'm afraid I can't do that. I can't allow you to attack an innocent man-"

At that, Octavius screamed at him, "INNOCENT!? HE RUINED MY LIFE!!"

Spider-man said, "O.K, seriously? That still doesn't entail you to-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!" Octavius shouted, grabbing Spidey by the leg and throwing him into a brick wall.

Spidey stood up and said, "Aw, what was _that _for, Doc? See, now you've done it." With that, he launched himself at Octavius, only to find himself batted away, landing flat on his back on the rooftop.

He stood up and said, in a more serious tone, "Doctor Octavius, I'm warning you, I will put you down hard if you do that-"

He did not get to finish his sentence before getting whacked in the head with a tentacle, moving so fast as to be only a blur. He was not able to defend himself as Octavius proceeded to smash him into the rooftop, hitting him again and again and again until the hero laid nearly unconscious before him.

Octavius picked him up with a tentacle and brought him close.

"You dare to threaten me, wallcrawler? You don't know who you're dealing with!!"

With that, he threw Spider-man from the rooftop, watching as he hit the ground. Suddenly, he fell to the rooftop on his hands and knees, suddenly feeling like he was burning up. The rooftop started to spin, and he clutched his head to stop the vertigo. It seemed like every noise in the city was suddenly audible, and the fresh assault on his mind suddenly had him falling from the rooftop, scrambling to catch himself. He managed to grab hold of a flagpole, and he found himself dangling 4 stories up, looking down at the people below who were pointing up at him. He managed to reach the ground and ran into a nearby side street. Once he knew he was out of sight, he fell to the ground, unable to stand.

The last thing he saw was a man standing over top of him, reaching toward him, before lapsing into unconsciousness...

--

When he awoke, he found himself lying in the man's apartment, a cold towel over his forehead. He tried to sit up, but only felt dizzy. The next thing he noticed was that he no longer had his shirt on.

"H-Hello?" He called out.

From somewhere in the apartment, came a response.

"Ah, you're awake. That's good..."

The man stepped into view, and it was then Octavius realized that he knew who the man was...

"Mendel Stromm?" he said, in disbelief.

Stromm nodded and said, "Yes... are you alright? I'm sorry I had to remove your shirt, but you were burning up. What _happened _to you, Otto?"

The only thing Octavius could think to say was, "How did you know where I was at?"

Stromm took hold of Octavius' wrist to check his pulse, and replied, "You collapsed outside my apartment. I had only come outside for a moment, and you were just... there. You look like you've been through hell. I couldn't let you just stay there... I have standards to keep, you know."

Octavius looked up at the ceiling and said, "Standards? What do you mean?"

Stromm said, "Well, aside from being Osborn's former assistant, I was also the chief medical attendant on his staff... wait... you were caught in the explosion that destroyed his laboratory, weren't you?"

Octavius nodded, but did not say anything.

"You probably have radiation poisoning... how close were you to the explosion?"

Octavius thought on that, and said, "Closer than I'd ever like to be again... I'd say a distance of 20 feet..."

Stromm just nodded and said, "That's dangerously close..." He put his hand to Octavius' forehead and said, "Well, you're not burning up anymore, at least..."

Octavius looked away and said, "How long was I out?"

Stromm replied, "I'd say about 3 days. You weren't responding to any of my attempts to wake you up. I thought you had slipped into a coma..."

At that, Octavius looked up at him and said, "3 _days_!? Are you serious?"

Stromm nodded and said, "I wish I wasn't..."

"Do the police know I'm here!?" Octavius said, looking over at the window.

Stromm nodded slowly and said, "Yes, unfortunately. They're waiting outside for you... I told them they can't come in without a warrant, and they just told me they'd wait until you came outside before they arrested you..." Here, he leaned down and whispered, "I know you're innocent. Osborn planned the explosion at Quest to eliminate his main competition, then he decided to pin it on you. I saw the plans on his desk one day. That's why I really got fired in the first place... look, I have a way I can get you out of here without them noticing... but you're really in no shape to go anywhere right now."

Octavius shook his head and said, "I'm fine. I can do just fine on my own..." He tried to stand up, but fell to the floor as the feeling of vertigo came back. He growled and slammed his fist on the floor.

Stromm said, "As I said, you're in no shape to go anywhere." He lifted Octavius off the floor and put him back on the couch. "I see you're still just as hardheaded as you were when I worked there..."

Octavius shook his head and rolled over, his back towards Stromm.

"This... is... humiliating..."

At that, Stromm couldn't help but laugh.

"Yep... still the same Otto Octavius you were when I left... at least we know the radiation hasn't affected your mind..."

Octavius looked back at Stromm, a somewhat annoyed look on his face.

"Shut up. Seriously, I've got a headache, and you're making it worse." He grabbed a pillow from the back of the couch he was on and put it over his head, in the hope that Stromm would just leave him alone.

Stromm took the hint and left the room, turning the lights off as he did.

Octavius laid there in the darkness for close to a half-hour, listening to the sounds of the city, when all of a sudden, he heard what sounded strangely like someone trying to pick a lock...

_What!? Tell me they're not trying to pick the door lock!!_

All of a sudden, the door to the apartment swung open, and two cops stood in the doorway, unaware that Octavius had ducked behind the couch before they got in, and was now watching them...

"He should be in here..." one of the cops whispered.

"He is, somewhere..." the other cop said, "It's just a matter of finding him and getting him out of here before Stromm wakes up... it should be easy... last I knew, Ock was out like a light..."

_Ock? Is that what they're calling me now? _Octavius thought, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah... let's just make this quick..."

In that instant, Octavius knew there was only one way to escape...

With a tentacle, he quietly reached for a big metal brick that Stromm kept on his desk as a paperweight and, with a quick motion, hurled it at the cop, striking him in the head and knocking him unconscious on impact.

The other cop drew his weapon and said, "Come out, Octavius! I know you're there!!"

Suddenly, Octavius emerged from behind the couch and, fighting the dizziness that threatened to consume him, ran past the cop, shoving him facefirst into the doorframe. He ran from the apartment, out into the pouring rain. Climbing a building to escape, he made sure the cop didn't see where he'd gone. He kept running on all 4 tentacles until he was far into the city. Finally, he stopped in front of a building in the East Village; the building Curt had told him about.

_I can hide here for the night... I can't let them find me!_

He snuck into the building and fell to the floor, the symptoms of the radiation poisoning threatening to consume him again. He laid there thinking, _How did I let this happen!? How!? It wasn't supposed to end up like this... _

--

By this time, Rosie had been staying at Curt's house for 2 days, in the hopes that they would find out what had happened to Octavius. So far, their efforts had uncovered nothing; Curt had searched every hospital in the city, to no avail. He had checked the city morgue as well, turning up nothing.

That night, Curt had returned home to find Rosie pacing the floor endlessly. When she saw him come in, she said in a panicked voice, "Curt, give me the news! Have you found out anything!?"

Curt shook his head sadly.

"No, Rosie, he hasn't turned up anywhere. Either he's still alive, or they just haven't found him yet."

Rosie said, "Oh, he must still be alive! I can't bear the thought of losing him like this! He has to turn up somewhere!"

Curt was silent a moment before saying, "You love him, don't you?"

It was several seconds before Rosie said, "Yes... I suppose I do. I've never been as attracted to any man as I am with him. He's the quiet type, but that somehow makes him all the more charming. He's not at all like any other man I've ever seen. There's something different about him, and, oh, I don't know, I just..." here, her voice broke and a tear slipped down her cheek, "...I don't want to lose him. He means everything to me."

Curt looked away for a moment before putting his hand on her shoulder and wiping the tear from her cheek.

"Don't worry, we'll find him... I promise."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Curt walked over to answer it and found Peter Parker standing in the doorway.

Curt looked at Rosie, then back to Peter.

"Did you find out anything?"

Peter nodded.

"As a matter of fact, I did. Apparently, someone saw Doctor Octavius running over the rooftops about 20 minutes ago... said he was heading East. The guy who told me said he didn't look too well... looked like he was doing everything to stay conscious..."

Curt was stricken with fear at this.

"No... it must be the radiation... do you have any idea where he might be headed?"

Peter shrugged and said, "Looked like he was heading towards the East Village..."

Curt was silent for a moment before he said, "I think I know where he's going... I'll be back soon."

He grabbed his coat and ran from the building...

--

Octavius was rudely awakened by a boom of thunder that shook the windows of the building he had fallen asleep in. Getting shakily to his feet, he walked over to the window, looking at the storm that had broken over the city. Putting one hand against the windowpane to steady himself, he thought on his situation.

_Osborn implicated me in two explosions I didn't commit, I'm one of New York's most wanted men, I can't turn to anyone for help, and I'm most likely dying of radiation poisoning. Is there anything I missed?_

_Oh, right... I now have 4 freakish mechanical tentacles fused to my body... how could I forget?_

He looked over his shoulder at the tentacle that seemed to be... looking at him?

_What? Is it... staring at me?_

Then suddenly, something unimaginable happened...

**Does it make you uncomfortable?**

Octavius shook his head, sure he must have been hearing things.

Then it spoke again...

**Why are you shaking your head like this?**

Octavius looked up in horror at the tentacle. Suddenly, he felt a surge of panic...

_"OH, DEAR GOD! I'M LOSING MY MIND!!"_

--

Only half a block away, 2 off-duty cops were walking out of a cafe in which they had just had lunch. They didn't really expect any trouble at this time.

Then they heard the sound of a screaming man, coming from a building that was supposed to be abandoned. Looking at each other, the two cops took off in the direction of the building...

--

Meanwhile, Curt was running towards the building in the East Village that he had mentioned to Octavius 6 months ago. Little did he know the situation he would walk into...

--

**Father! Why are you screaming?**

Octavius tried to block out the voice of the tentacles, but no matter what he did, he could still hear it...

_**"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!! YOU CAN'T BE REAL!!" **_he screamed, trying to shut the voice up.

**What is happening to you? Why are you panicking?**

Octavius fell to the floor, clutching his head, still screaming.

"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO MEEEEEEEEEEE!"

So lost in that moment of panic was he, that he didn't see the two cops kick the door down.

The two cops just stared at him, stunned. This was the man they were supposed to be looking for!!

Finally, Octavius noticed the cops' presence. He stopped screaming and looked up at them.

"No..." He whispered. They weren't supposed to find him!

The two cops walked up to him and looked down at him. What were they supposed to do? He was obviously not well, but this was the man who had allegedly blown up 2 buildings in New York! They stood there for a minute before making their decision. One of the cops kneeled beside him and handcuffed him, while the other cop looked him over to see if there was anything physically wrong with him. Finally, they got him to his feet, just as Curtis Connors ran into the building...

Curt was horrified at what he saw...

"WHAT are you doing to him!?"

One of the cops looked at him strangely.

"We're... taking him into custody. That's what we've been ordered to do."

Curt looked frantically at both of the cops, then at Octavius. Strangely, he couldn't bring himself to look at Curt.

"W-What are you going to do with him?" Curt asked, slightly stuttering.

The cop shrugged and said, "Put him in jail, pending trial. Same thing we do to everyone else."

Curt was stunned.

"You don't understand! He shouldn't be put in prison! He needs a doctor! He's got radiation poisoning, which will be fatal if he doesn't get help! Moreover, he's innocent! He'd never maliciously destroy someone else's company!"

The two cops looked at Octavius. He didn't exactly look like the type who would firebomb a business. Yet, they had orders to follow...

Curt continued, "Look, if you're that concerned about it, at least get him some medical attention, then you can put him in prison if he hasn't already been proven innocent!"

The two cops looked at each other, then back at Curt. One of them spoke, "Alright, if it'll make you happy, we'll get him help, alright? He does look like he needs it..."

Then, Octavius spoke up.

"I-It was Osborn... he's the one who blew up... he blew up Quest, not me... f-find him, Curt... make him confess..."

Then, he crumpled to the floor, the gravity of the situation proving too much for him in his current state. Curt ran over to him and said, "Otto! Otto, wake up! My God, _wake up!!_" He stepped back and said, "My God... how could this happen?"

One of the cops looked at Curt sympathetically and said, "We'll get him help. I promise."

Curt just walked out of the building, too shocked to speak. The two cops managed to carry him out to their transport, putting him in the back. One of the cops got in the back with him, while the other got up front and got them headed towards the nearest hospital.

The cop watching over Octavius looked down at him.

_The blond man's right... _he thought, solemnly._ He doesn't look like the type of man who would do something so horrific... but you never really know..._

--

Curt finally got back to his apartment to find Rosie sitting on the couch. She looked up at him, noticed the look on his face, and ran up to him.

"Curt, you must know something! Did they find him!?"

Curt nodded sadly, but did not respond.

Rosie was shocked. "I-Is he..."

Curt shook his head.

"No, Rosie, he's alive... but he might not be for long, by the looks of it..."

Rosie gasped. "You _saw _him!?"

Curt nodded and looked down at the floor.

"I did... the cops found him first... they're taking him to get help, but... they still believe he's responsible for the bombings."

Rosie just shook her head and said, "How could this happen!?"

Curt looked at the floor and said, "I... I don't know..."

--

By this time, Octavius was in the security ward at Midtown Hospital. He had not yet woken up from the incident in the East Village. He was being carefully monitored; he had been hooked up to a machine that recorded his vital signs, and there was a doctor in the room as well. The doctor in charge of him, a rather short man named Victor Stone, was sitting in the room, waiting for him to wake up; he didn't have anyone else to tend to for the moment.

He was sitting in his chair, reading that day's paper, when Octavius awoke suddenly, crying out, his hand reaching out for an unknown object. Stone approached the bed carefully, lest he make any sudden movements that could set him off further.

"Doctor Octavius! Are you alright?" Stone said, looking down at him.

Octavius opened his eyes and looked up at Stone, visibly confused.

"Why do you ask such questions?" Octavius replied, turning away from Stone, who was now confused as well.

Stone shook his head and said, "Never mind. How are you feeling? We've been waiting for you to wake up..."

Octavius did not respond.

Stone raised an eyebrow and said, "Look, I can't help you unless you tell me what's going on with you." After Octavius still did not respond, Stone picked up a clipboard off the table beside the bed, looked it over, and said, "Alright, I'll read you the report, and you tell me if it's right. According to what this says, you got caught in an explosion 3 days ago, set off by an exploding nuclear reactor. You were exposed to extremely high levels of radiation, which is causing whatever's wrong with you. When you were brought in several hours ago, you had a fever of 103, and a number of wounds to the face and neck, presumably by flying debris in the explosion. And the, um, device you used to handle radioactive material is fused to you. It is said that you are responsible for 2 explosions-"

Octavius cut him off and snarled, "That's a lie. I didn't cause any explosion!! Osborn told you this, didn't he!?"

Stone took a step back and said, "No, that's just what the report says-"

Octavius cut him off again, getting out of the bed and advancing towards Stone, his tentacles writhing in the air behind him. "But you got the report from the cops, who got it from Osborn! That man's trying to _destroy me_, and you people are allied with him!!"

Stone backed into a corner to distance himself from the infuriated Doctor.

"I-I'm not allied with anyone! I'm just t-telling you what the report says!!"

Octavius snatched the clipboard from Stone's hand and looked it over, before hurling it through a window.

"You people think I'm losing my mind!!" he shouted, his eyes burning with rage. "How could you think this!? I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING WRONG!!"

Stone looked around the room frantically, noticing the racing heart rate on the telemetry.

"Please, Doctor! Calm down before you kill yourself!!" he said, backed into the corner as far as he could go.

"DO NOT PRESUME TO COMMAND ME!!" Octavius snarled, ripping the electrodes from his chest, still advancing on Stone. "No one tells me what to do!! NO ONE!!"

At that moment, Stone ran for the door, to escape before something bad happened.

Octavius ran out the door after him, to find a way out of the hospital. He found a window and headed for it, shattering it, leaping out before someone could catch him. He hit the ground on all 4 tentacles, not noticing the rain pouring down on him. He then ran off, before anyone could make a move to catch him...

--

Meanwhile, Curt was on his way to the very place Octavius had just escaped from. He heard the sound of breaking glass, then looked up and saw the most shocking image: it was Octavius himself, having jumped out the window, landing on all 4 of the actuators, only a few yards away from him. Before Curt could react, Octavius had already started down the street.

Curt called out, "Otto! What are you _doing!?"_, but it was no use. Octavius either didn't hear him, or for some reason, just chose not to respond.

"My God..." Curt said, leaning against a wall, shocked by what he had just seen. "What's _happened _to you?"

--

Octavius had gotten only a few blocks away from the hospital and had ducked into a side street, when he once again began to feel the effects of the radiation poisoning. He leaned against the wall to steady himself, but he had felt worse then ever before. He dropped to his knees, clutching his head.

_"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME!" _he shouted. With every second, the pounding in his skull intensified, until he found himself lying on the ground, clawing at his head to stop the pain. His vision started to fade to red, and his mind was on hyperdrive, every conceivable nightmarish image flashing through his consciousness. He felt as if his entire body was on fire, as if he was being burned alive. He cried out, hoping the pain would stop.

"Oh, God, just take me now!!" he screamed. "Just make it stop! Make this pain stop!! TAKE ME NOW!!"

And then a strange thing happened. It was like suddenly, someone had flipped a switch, and he found himself looking up at the sky, breathing heavily, sprawled out on the concrete. As quickly as it had came, the pain was gone. It was like it had never been there.

It was like he had never been affected by the radiation in the first place...

"I... I am... it's gone." he said, not making a move to get up. "The radiation poisoning... gone... but how?"

_Well, I'm not going to lie here in the rain... _he thought. _I still have my revenge to enact, after all..._

With that, he got to his feet and climbed up the building with all 4 tentacles.

_I may be recovered from this, somehow..._ he thought. _But what's going to help Osborn, when this is all said and done?_

_-To be continued..._

_--_

_**(A/N: When I had this end scene in mind, I was reminded of the scene in "Doctor Octopus: Year One", when all of a sudden, the radiation poisoning that had been afflicting Octavius just seemed to suddenly... evaporate, so to speak. I may not pull it off as stylishly as it was done in above-mentioned storyline, but that's kind of what I had in mind. BTW, the voice of the tentacles? That was meant to be a one-time thing. He's not in his right mind at the moment, so he could easily be hearing things.)**_


	8. Exposed

**A New Beginning**

**Chapter Eight: Exposed**

_7:03 am, the residence of Norman Osborn..._

"Mr. Osborn, surely you must know more about what happened that night!" Captain Stacy said, sitting in Osborn's study at his home. "I mean, you witnessed the explosion!"

Osborn shook his head.

"On the contrary, I ran out of that building as fast as I could. I didn't feel like dying, you know."

Captain Stacy said, "I understand that. But you were there, you must know the chain of events leading up to all this! I mean, it was reported that you had gotten into a fight with Octavius only mere seconds before it happened-"

Osborn cut him off and said, "See, now there's the problem. The only other witness to the explosion is dead."

Captain Stacy shook his head and said, "Actually, Mr. Osborn... he's not."

Osborn nearly choked on the martini he had been drinking when he heard this.

"Say what? Can you repeat that?"

Capt. Stacy sighed and said, "Mr. Osborn, I don't know where you heard this, but Otto Octavius survived the explosion. He escaped us last night, and we haven't been able to find him since."

Osborn sat in his chair shaking, trying to hide his shock.

_H-How is that even possible!? _Osborn thought. _**No one **__could survive something like that!! What's he going to do now!?_

Captain Stacy said, "Mr. Osborn, is something wrong?"

Osborn shook his head and said, "N-Nothing's wrong! I have no more to say on this matter. If you'll excuse me..." He stood up out of his chair and stumbled into his room, leaving Captain Stacy alone in his study.

_My God... what am I going to do now!? He's the only one who knows that I'm the one who bombed Quest! I thought he was dead!! _

He leaned against his dresser to avoid blacking out, as he found himself, for the first time in his life, truly afraid. He knew that Octavius could expose him at any time. But why hadn't he?

_The answer to that is simple... _Osborn thought, looking at his face in the mirror. _He wants to kill me, then expose me... and with those arms of his, it's very possible... _

A knock came at the door. "Mr. Osborn? Are you alright?" It was Capt. Stacy.

Osborn put on what he hoped was a calm face and walked out of the room.

"Is there any chance of my being able to hire a few of your fine officers to act as bodyguards? It would appear as though I may have a situation on my hands..."

Capt. Stacy looked at him oddly and said, "What kind of situation?"

Osborn leaned against a doorframe and said, "Well, I'd like to keep it to myself, but I pay well..."

At that, Capt. Stacy shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, but I'd need to know the exact circumstances in order to make that kind of call..."

Osborn shrugged and said, "Never mind... now if you don't mind, I have business to attend to..."

Capt. Stacy nodded and said, "I understand. Just call if you remember anything..." and left the building.

Osborn stood there until he was sure Capt. Stacy was long gone, before slamming his fist into a wall and screaming. He knew what Octavius was planning to do. He knew that if the mad Doctor managed to get ahold of him, he was as good as dead...

Osborn walked over to his desk, unlocked the top drawer, and pulled out the 9mm pistol he had kept concealed there. Slipping it into his suit jacket, he left his study, walking towards the front door. He gave instructions to the doorman not to let anyone in, then left for parts unknown...

--

Meanwhile, Octavius had been watching Osborn from the building across the street. He had seen Osborn leave the building, and had not attacked him, as he knew there was a few things he needed to do before he could enact his revenge.

He waited until Osborn was out of sight, and then he used two of his tentacles to leap from the rooftop he was on, landing on the much shorter roof of Osborn's home with a dull 'thud'. He silently descended the building until he reached the window of Osborn's study. Sliding it open, he crawled into the window and took a look around.

_Now where would a fool like Osborn keep any potential evidence linking him to the explosions? _Octavius thought, searching the room. _I know he has something here that I could use..._

He tore through Osborn's filing cabinets, finding nothing. He walked over to the desk and, using one of the tentacles, picked the lock, opening the drawer and finding a file folder on top of a stack of documents. He picked up the folder and opened it, and found schematics for different types of bombs and assorted weaponry. He also found a copy of the very schematics for the device that Octavius himself had built... the one Osborn had used for the bomb.

_Well... this is a good find... but even this is not enough... I need something that will put the nail in his coffin... some direct evidence linking him to everything that's transpired... _

He looked through the rest of the documents in Osborn's desk, finding nothing. He slid the desk drawers closed, picked up a pencil and paper from the desktop, and wrote a note:

_I'm coming after you, Osborn. Nothing you can possibly do will stop it. When death comes to claim you, you won't know until you see the white light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Except that tunnel won't lead to your heaven... it'll take you to hell._

_But first... I think I'll let you live just a little longer... if only to torment you with the knowledge of your inevitable death... and besides, I'd hate to let you leave this life looking completely innocent about the events that have occurred... you're going to die the way you lived: a disgrace to humanity. Think about that in the few days before you die... who knows, maybe it'll do that feeble mind of yours some good._

_-Doctor Octopus_

He left the note on Osborn's desk and walked over to the window, sliding it open and slipping out, leaving it open as he made his way back into the city just as Osborn walked back into the building.

When Osborn walked into his office, nothing seemed amiss... except that window that had not been open when he had left...

"Now how did that get opened?" Osborn said to himself, although he knew how it had... he just didn't want to accept it.

He walked over to the window and closed it, then turned around and noticed the note on his desk. Picking it up, he read it, and with every word, the bad feeling that was burning in Osborn's mind only intensified. He _knew _Octavius was coming after him for certain now...

Without warning, Osborn clutched his chest and fell to the floor, just as his manservant, Bernard, had entered the room.

"Mr. Osborn!" Bernard cried out, rushing over to him. He kneeled down and checked Osborn's pulse... finding none.

"Oh, dear God!!" He ran over to the window and shouted, "WE NEED A DOCTOR IN HERE!! SOMEONE HELP!!"

A few moments later, a man ran through the front door, and up to Osborn's study. Seeing Osborn keeled over on the floor, he ran up and said, "What happened to him?"

Bernard said, "I-I think he's had a heart attack... I don't know why!"

The man kneeled over Osborn and began CPR, and after a few moments, Osborn came to. The man said, "We need to get him to a hospital. I don't know what's wrong with him, but they can find out." He picked up Osborn in a fireman's carry and hauled him out to the street, hailing a taxi, loading Osborn into it when one stopped, and taking off down the street.

--

_Several hours later..._

Octavius was hiding out in that building in the East Village, having claimed it as his hideout for the time being. He was listening to the broadcast on the radio that he had 'acquired' only a few hours earlier. It was set to a news channel, and he wasn't paying much attention to it...

...until a bulletin came across that started, "In other news, business mogul Norman Osborn is in the hospital tonight, following an incident in his home..."

At this, Octavius looked up from the schematics he had been going over for the last few hours. "Hmm? What's this, now?"

"...has been reported he keeled over from a heart attack, after reading a note on his desk left by former scientist Otto Octavius..."

Octavius listened closer, extremely interested now in what was being said.

"...it has been rumored that Octavius was responsible for two explosions in the last week. He is currently at large, and should be considered armed and dangerous."

_Armed and dangerous... more so than you know. _Octavius thought, a wicked grin on his face.

"Osborn has not released any details as to why Octavius is after him, and is currently in stable condition..."

Octavius switched off the radio and leaned back in his chair, looking back down at the schematics.

"Well, well... I knew Osborn was weak, but I never suspected he was _that _much of a coward..."

--

_3 days later..._

Osborn returned to his home, having been released that morning. He had been told to take it easy for a few days.

He walked into his study, made sure to lock that window, and sat down at his desk.

_O.K, I've got to figure out what to do about this current situation... _he thought. _I'm currently being hunted down by a sociopathic scientist with 4 mechanical arms... who is intent on murdering me. I know this pistol would not be enough to stop him when he attacks... and I can't hire bodyguards without telling them why I need them in the first place. So what is there to do?_

Then, a thought came to him...

_Perhaps... perhaps I could make use of the human performance enhancers that Stromm was developing... that would give me a definite edge... but wait, those haven't even been thoroughly tested yet..._

He thought about it some more. He could use the performance enhancers, and gain the edge needed to stop Octavius if... no, _when_, he attacks. Or the enhancers could kill him.

On the flipside, he could decide _not _to take that risk, and let Octavius tear him apart.

Not a hard question, really...

_I'll have to do it... _Osborn thought. _Despite the risks. I can't let him murder me. I have to fight back..._

He walked over the door, locked it, then walked over to a painting on the wall, taking it down to reveal a hidden safe. He unlocked the safe and opened it, revealing several stacks of bills... and a vial of a strange green liquid.

Hesitating a moment, he removed the vial from the safe and walked back to his desk, taking a seat and removing the cap from the vial.

_I must be out of my mind... _he thought._ But it's this, or let him murder me..._

With that thought in mind, he quickly drank the contents of the vial, then leaned back in his chair, waiting for it to take effect.

Suddenly, he felt like his brain had exploded, and he fell out of his chair, writhing on the floor as the serum made its way through his body. He repeatedly pounded on the floor with his fist, screaming incoherently. He could feel his body growing stronger, but the pain was threatening to overtake him.

Then, just as quickly as it came, the pain was gone, leaving Osborn feeling more powerful than ever before.

He stood up and walked over to a full length mirror, looking himself over. He could feel this new energy radiating within, and he liked it...

To test this newfound power, he walked over to the desk, and was astonished as he lifted it, over his head, with one hand. He put it back down with a loud 'thunk' and, feeling like he was buzzed on something, started hopping from one foot to another, throwing punches at empty air.

_Let Octavius come after me! _he thought, a cocky smirk on his face. _With this power, I could wipe out an army!! NOTHING CAN STOP ME NOW!! _

He started pacing the floor, thinking about this current situation.

_I'm not going to let him attack first... I'm going to get him before he can get me. I'll need a few weapons... _

He then remembered the flying machine he had developed, the one Mendel had said looked like a glider.

_I could use that... he'd never suspect an aerial assault... and those small bombs I've designed... those could be perfect... but I'll need something to disguise myself... can't let the general public recognize me..._

He walked back over to his desk and unlocked the top drawer, only to find that the folder with the schematics for the bombs was gone. There was only one explanation for it...

"NOO!! How did he find it!?" Osborn shrieked, slamming his fist onto the desk, splintering the wood. He began pacing again, thinking on what to do about this... unexpected development.

_He must have stolen the file the day he left that note on my desk... but what would __**he **__want with it? There's no way that folder contains everything he'd need to expose me... well, there's no telling where he's at by now... I'll have to build my weaponry from what I remember of the schematics..._

He left the building, this time having left the pistol in his desk.

He had gotten only half a block away, before an enraged scream split the foggy silence of the early morning. The voice behind the scream was familiar to Osborn; a rather low-pitched voice with a heavy German accent behind it.

It was a voice Osborn knew all too well... and he wasn't happy to hear it.

_**"OSBORN!!"**_

Osborn looked up at the rooftops, and damned if he didn't see Doctor Octopus himself standing there, glaring down at him...

_So... he finally decides to make his presence known to me... why would that be? _

"Yes, Doctor?" Osborn called back, an arrogant tone to his voice.

Without warning, Octavius jumped from the rooftop, landing on only 2 tentacles in front of Osborn. He stood stock still, the other 2 tentacles writing behind him, just glaring down at Osborn, who didn't move an inch.

"Where are they, Osborn?" he snarled, grabbing his former employer by the leg, flipping him upside down, bringing him up to eye level.

Osborn didn't even flinch as he said, "Well, you're looking well... mind telling me how you survived that explosion?"

"I don't have time for your childish games, Osborn!!" Octavius shouted, shaking him roughly. "Where are the schematics for my reactor!? I _know _you have them!!"

Osborn, surprisingly enough, started laughing, only making Octavius even more enraged then he already was.

"I don't have them, Doctor! They probably got destroyed in the explosion."

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME!!" Octavius shouted, slamming Osborn into a nearby building face first. "Must I ask _again!?"_

Osborn shook his head and said, "I'm serious. I really don't have them. And even if I did, I'd never give them-"

He was broken off in mid-sentence when Octavius slammed him into the ground once, twice, three times. When he finally brought Osborn back up to his level, he said, "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THEM!?"

Surprisingly, Osborn still didn't look the least bit shaken by the situation, as he hung there, still upside down, and said, "I see by the look on your face that you're surprised as to why I haven't been injured by your slamming me around..."

Octavius shook his head and said, "Nothing surprises me about you anymore, Osborn... I've seen you for what you really are... mark my words, Osborn, I _will _see you dead!!"

Out of spite, Osborn raised an eyebrow, a smirk on his face as he said, "Oh, you don't intend on doing it now?"

Octavius snarled and threw Osborn to the ground.

"Oh, you're still going to die... but as I said in that note, I intend on destroying your image first. Let the people of this city see you for what you really are. Consider this incident merely a warning of the pain to come." With that, he whacked Osborn in the head with a tentacle, knocking him back to the ground, stunned. He turned around to leave, giving Osborn one final warning: "And if I find out you have the schematics for my reactor... I'll rip your spine from your still-writhing corpse! I _will _get them back, Osborn!" He then turned around and disappeared into the early morning fog, leaving Osborn on the ground.

Osborn sat there a moment, thinking on what had just happened. Octavius could have torn him apart right then and there... but why didn't he? Could it be he was truly serious about exposing Osborn's dark past to the city?

_Well, I don't have all the time in the world to think about it... _Osborn said as he got up, glad that no one was around to see this little... incident. _I still have business to conduct... _

_--_

_10:21 am, back at Curt's apartment..._

Rosie was asleep on the couch when she felt Curt gently shaking her awake.

She looked up at him sleepily and said, "Did you find out anything?"

Curt still couldn't shake the image of Octavius' escape from Midtown Hospital. He had told Rosie, who, as expected, had been horrified. Neither of them could figure out why he would have done such a thing.

Curt shook his head sadly and said, "No, I didn't... I don't know where on Earth he could be... I don't even know if he's alive anymore... the brief glimpses I got of him definitely confirmed my worst suspicions... he _was _affected by the radiation... I just wish I knew where he was..."

Just then, as if on cue, the police scanner that Curt had hooked up to try and get any information, came to life...

"...we have confirmed reports of an attack in the Financial District... victim identified as Norman Osborn..."

Curt motioned for Rosie to stay quiet a moment, and they both listened in horror as the report unfurled...

"...Osborn is not seriously injured... attacker has been identified as Otto Octavius..."

At that, Curt gasped and looked over at Rosie, who had tears in her eyes at what she was hearing.

"...Octavius' current whereabouts are unknown... should be considered armed and dangerous. If confronted, use any force necessary to take him..."

Curt and Rosie sat in stunned silence as the report wound down.

_Any force neccessary? _Curt thought, horrified. _Does that mean lethal!? They wouldn't __**kill **__him, would they!?_

"Rosie, I'm going down to the station. I have to let someone know that he's not responsible for this!" Curt grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and ran from the apartment...

--

_20 minutes later..._

Capt. Stacy was in his office at Precinct 92, relishing the few minutes of down time that usually never occurred in the course of a normal work day.

He heard the door to the station open and looked to see who it was. He saw a blond man with only one arm walk through the front door, towards the front desk. He heard the man talking to the officer in charge, but couldn't make out what he was saying. Then, the man was standing in his doorway.

"Are you Captain Stacy?" he asked.

Stacy nodded and motioned for the man to take a seat.

"And what can I help you with, Mr..."

"Connors." the blond man said. "My name is Curt Connors, and I need to talk to you about the Octavius case..."

Stacy looked confused at this.

"How do you know of this case?" he asked.

Curt looked downcast as he said, "Because Octavius is my best friend... I know he was not responsible for either of the explosions, and in the first case, I know I can prove it."

Stacy was silent a moment before saying, "Alright... how can you prove it?"

Curt started, "Because the night of the explosion at Quest Research, he was with a lady friend of his. They had gone out to dinner that night."

"Oh, really?" Stacy asked. "And who is this lady friend of his?"

Curt replied, "Her name is Rosalie Harris, and she'd be willing to tell you everything of what had happened that night."

Stacy thought on that for a moment, before saying, "Then you can take me to her."

Curt said, "Wait, take you to her? I thought you'd just have her come-"

Stacy shook his head and said, "No, it's easier this way. Look..." here, he sighed and said, "...I'd really like to believe he's innocent. The thought of an eminent scientist turning on people like this, I don't like it. If you can truly prove he's innocent, I'll do anything to prove it. If he's not, I'll have to charge him, but I don't want to send a man who could be a benefit to humanity to prison without knowing if he's truly innocent."

Curt could not respond.

"So..." Stacy finished, standing up and grabbing his coat, "Where is this lady friend of his?"

--

_20 minutes later, again..._

Rosie was pacing the room when Curt and Capt. Stacy walked in the apartment.

She stopped pacing and said, "Oh, hello... who's that, Curt?"

Capt. Stacy walked up to her and said, "I'm Capt. George Stacy of the 92nd Precinct, and I've been told you can prove something for me?" There was something familiar to Capt. Stacy about this woman, but he couldn't place his finger on it...

Rosie said, "Wait, this is about Otto, isn't it?"

Stacy nodded and said, "I heard you can prove his innocence in the explosion at Quest Research?"

"Yes, he was with me that night," Rosie said, a very slight smile on her face. "I had dragged him out to dinner that night. Everything was going fine until we heard the explosion. He ran over to see what it was and was knocked unconscious by a falling brick..."

"Wait a second..." Stacy said, realization dawning on his face. "You were there with him that night. I remember you now!"

Rosie looked at him a little closer and said, "Yes, I remember you as well... anyways, I remember him coming into the apartment angry about something, and I figured us going to dinner might cheer him up... apparently, him and Norman Osborn had not been getting along..."

--

_2 hours later..._

Capt. Stacy had returned to the stationhouse after listening to Rosie explain what had happened that night. He was about to enter the building, when he looked down and saw a bundle of papers that were held together by a rubber band, just sitting on the doorstep.

_What in the world-?_

He grabbed the papers and entered the building, heading to his office. Entering it, he locked the door and took a seat at his desk. Unfurling the roll of papers, he took a look at them and found various schematics for different types of bombs. Most of the papers had the words "Property of Norman Osborn" stamped on them.

_Well, talk about being obvious... _Stacy thought, rolling his eyes.

And in the back of all of the papers was a note. There was only one sentence written on it:

_Get your facts straight next time._

Capt. Stacy was shocked at who had obviously written this note.

The note was signed by Otto Octavius.

Stacy looked at the note again in disbelief. He ran out of the office and said to the officer in charge, "Did you see anyone besides me approach the station at any point in the last 2 hours?"

The officer shook his head and said, "Not one person, sir. Why?"

Stacy slammed the note on the desk and said, "_Someone _must have been here! This note was in front of the door, along with a bundle of papers in a rubber band. You're sure you didn't see anyone approach the door!?"

The officer shook his head and said, "I'm positive! Nothing's been happening today!"

Stacy shook his head and walked into a small room behind the officer's desk. It was the surveillance room, where another officer was watching the screens that were linked to the video cameras around the city.

The officer, who was a female by the name of Jean DeWolff, looked up at Stacy and said, "What do you need, Captain?"

Stacy said, "Can you rewind the surveillance tape for the video camera overlooking the front entrance to the station? Rewind it about 2 hours, then fast-forward."

DeWolff complied, rewound the tape, then pressed the fast forward button, making sure it wasn't going too fast.

Then, they both saw it...

He was only on screen for a little more than a second, but Octavius himself had shown up, only a few minutes after Capt. Stacy had left, put the papers on the doorstep, and disappeared again.

Stacy was dumbstruck at what he saw.

"He _was _here..."

Stacy thanked DeWolff, went back to his office and took another look at the schematics. They looked like the type of bomb that would have been used in the Quest Explosion.

_Wait, is he trying to tell me that __**Osborn **__was behind all this!? _

He stood up, grabbed the schematics off of his desk, and left the station. There was someone he needed to talk to...

_-To be continued..._


	9. The Beginning of the End

**A New Beginning**

**Chapter Nine: The Beginning of the End**

_1:42 pm, the apartment of Norman Osborn..._

Osborn was standing in front of the window in his study, looking out at the city below, when he heard a knock on the door. He walked over and opened it, and was shocked to find Capt. Stacy standing in the doorway.

"Mr. Osborn, we need to talk."

Osborn said, "Well, this really isn't a good time-"

Stacy cut him off. "I'm not asking. I'm telling you, we need to talk. Take a seat."

Osborn rolled his eyes, but took a seat anyways.

Stacy removed the bomb schematics from inside his jacket and threw them on Osborn's desk.

"Have you seen these before?" Stacy asked.

Osborn took a look at them and, without thinking, snatched them off the desk and said, "Hey, those are mine!"

Stacy raised an eyebrow and looked at Osborn accusingly.

Osborn looked up at Stacy and realized he'd said too much.

"I mean... how did you get them?" Osborn said, trying to hide the edge in his voice.

"They were dropped off at the station..." Stacy said, in a serious tone, "... by none other than Otto Octavius himself."

Osborn couldn't come up with a response to that.

Capt. Stacy said, "So. Mind telling me what they're for? What would a respectable businessman such as yourself need with bomb plans?" There was a touch of sarcasm in Stacy's tone, and Osborn picked up on it.

"What, you're accusing _me _of bombing Quest? Is that it?" Osborn snarled. "You're in league with _him _now?"

"I'm not in league with _anyone_, Osborn." Capt. Stacy said, trying to stay calm.

Osborn shook his head and said, "I don't have to deal with this..." He got up to walk away, but Stacy slammed his fist on the desk and barked, "I didn't say I was finished with you!!"

Osborn sat back down and said, "I want a lawyer."

At this, Capt. Stacy looked down at Osborn with a wolfish grin.

"I wasn't accusing you of anything, Osborn. Are you saying you're guilty?"

Osborn was silent a moment before saying, "Alright, you know what? I'll admit it. I'm responsible. Is that what you wanted to hear? I'm responsible for both explosions. There's really no use denying it now."

Capt. Stacy nodded, as if satisfied with Osborn's response, and said, "I'll need you to come with me then."

Osborn looked up at Capt. Stacy and laughed.

"That's not going to happen."

Capt. Stacy took a step towards Osborn and said, putting his hand on the grip of his pistol, "I'm warning you, I will use force to take you down..."

Osborn just looked at Stacy with an arrogant smirk and said, "Do you really think you're intimidating me?"

"I'M NOT WARNING YOU ANYMORE, DAMNIT! GET ON THE GROUND, OSBORN!" Capt. Stacy shouted, leveling his pistol at Osborn.

Suddenly, Osborn ran for the window before Stacy could fire, and jumped through it, shattering the glass. He plummeted towards the ground, seemingly towards certain death.

He hit the ground, rolled, and jumped to his feet, unhurt by the fall. He took off running before Stacy could fire at him.

Capt. Stacy ran over to the window and saw Osborn running off.

"FREEZE, OSBORN!!" he shouted, although he knew it would be useless. He grabbed his two-way radio from his belt and said, "This is the Captain, it would appear there has been a major breakthrough in the Octavius case..."

--

_Great. My entire career is ruined!! _Osborn thought, enraged, still running. _WHY did he have to deliver the proof straight into the hands of the police!?_

He ducked into a back alley to think on what he could do next.

_He's ruined me... now, it's time to take away something he cares about..._

_...but first, I have to gather a few... materials..._

_--_

_7 minutes later..._

Osborn arrived at a warehouse he owned, only a few blocks from his apartment. He undid the 3 locks on the door, then entered, the lights flicking on automatically.

He walked over to a machine he had built. It was the glider he had finished only the day before.

_Didn't think I'd have to use it already... _he said. _But I have my revenge to enact... he will pay for what he's done to me. _

He looked at the device next to the glider, a green suit of "armor" that had been designed for use with the glider. He grabbed the mask to the suit, a small helmet that look like an evil insect's head. Slipping it on his head, he quickly donned the suit of armor and turned his attention back towards the glider. Doing one last, final check of the device, he stepped onto it and fired it up. A ball of flame emerged from the back of the glider, and Osborn sped out of the warehouse and into the city, cackling madly.

Now he'd take care of this little problem... once and for all...

--

"So, Curt..." Rosie said, leaning back in her chair, "...do you think they'll clear him?"

Curt looked up from his newspaper and said, "I don't know... I really hope so..."

The room was silent a moment more before the phone rang. Curt picked it up.

"Yes, this is Connors... Captain Stacy!?" Curt motioned for Rosie to remain quiet a moment as he listened, "Yes... yes... oh, really? He did!? Are you serious!? That's great!! You have no idea how much we appreciate this, Captain! Thank you!!" Curt hung up the phone and looked over at Rosie with a huge grin on his face.

"He's been cleared, Rosie! Osborn confessed everything!" he said.

Rosie jumped up and said, "That's wonderful news! How did they get Osborn to confess?"

Curt shook his head with that same grin on his face and said, "Apparently, Otto got ahold of the schematics for the bombs used at Quest, and delivered them right into the hands of the police. But the cops never even knew he was there."

The smile on Rosie's face now matched the one on Curt's.

"That's great! We have to find Otto and tell him everything's been dropped against him!"

Just then, a high-pitched whine split the air, and the outermost wall of the apartment exploded in a ball of flame. Both Curt and Rosie were thrown against the opposite wall, and both were conscious enough to see none other than a man in what looked like a goblin suit fly into the apartment. The madness in his voice was frightening as he shouted, "WHERE IS HE!? WHERE IS OCTAVIUS!?"

Curt looked at the man in the goblin suit and said, "N-Norman Osborn?"

Osborn shouted, "THAT'S THE GREEN GOBLIN TO YOU!! Where is he!?"

Curt backed away from him and said, "I-I don't know! Even if I knew, I'd NEVER tell you!!"

Osborn flew up to him and said, "You wouldn't? You would die for him?"

When Curt didn't respond, Osborn looked at Rosie and said, "Would you let her die for him?"

Curt managed to say, "D-DON'T TOUCH HER!!"

Osborn laughed and picked up Rosie roughly, ignoring her screaming, and told Curt, "You tell Octavius he has _one hour _to come and face me, man-to-man, or I'll THROW HER FROM THE TOP OF THE EMPIRE STATE!!" With that, he flew off with Rosie, his evil laugh ringing in Curt's ears.

Curt stood up and ran for the door. He had to tell someone!

Out of instinct, he ran towards the building in the East Village. Something, he didn't know what, told him that Octavius would be there, and he was willing to trust that instinct...

--

Meanwhile, Octavius himself was in his hideout, thinking on the situation. He had delivered the proof to the police, but would it be enough? He was trying to figure out what to do if they still thought he was responsible.

Suddenly, a man burst through the door. Octavius turned around to silence whomever it was, when he realized...

"Curt!? What are you doing here!?" he asked, stunned bt his friend's sudden appearance.

Curt leaned against the post in the middle of the room, exhausted from the long run, and said, "Osborn's got Rosie! He's threatening to kill her if you don't fight him atop the Empire State!!"

At this, Octavius went white, and he leaned against his desk. "H-How did he even find her!?"

Curt said, "I don't know, but he blew up the apartment. Go find him, Otto! You can't let her be harmed by him!"

Octavius ran for the door, but halted for only a moment, long enough to say, "Curt... if I don't come back alive... if he releases her... tell Rosie... tell her..." he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence, but Curt understood.

"I'll tell her. Now go! There's not much time left! He only gave you an hour to find him!"

Octavius nodded and ran off, leaving Curt in the building alone.

_My God... _Curt thought,_ how did it come to this? _

_--_

Meanwhile, at the Empire State, Osborn circled the tower on his glider, bored. Rosie sat there, terrified, and said, "W-What are you going to do to him?"

Osborn laughed and said, "Kill him, of course. Oh, don't worry, I'll release _you_, but I've got a score to settle with him. And it looks like his hour is almost-"

Suddenly, a chunk of brick hit Osborn's helmet. Osborn snarled, turned around, and saw Octavius standing atop the tower.

"This ends _now_, Osborn!!" Octavius shouted, ready to rip Osborn apart. "Why did it have to go this far!? Why couldn't you just leave her out of this!?"

Osborn simply said, "I needed a reason to draw you out. I was going to go after your teacher friend, but I thought she'd make better bait..." With that, Osborn reached down and plucked a small orange ball from a spot on the glider, pressed a button on it, and said, "But I suppose you're right... this will end now, but not in the way you-"

Without warning, Octavius smacked the little orange ball out of Osborn's hand, flinging it into the air and ignoring the explosion it generated, grabbed the arm originally holding the bomb, and flung Osborn away from the tower. Osborn tumbled aimlessly through the air before the glider corrected itself, and Osborn flew towards Octavius, laughing like a lunatic.

Octavius grabbed hold of the glider's wing with 2 tentacles, ripping it out from under Osborn, who fell onto the hard surface of the tower. Octavius took one look at the glider and, with seemingly little effort, crunched it into a big ball of twisted metal and wires, then threw it from the tower. Osborn stood up and shrieked, "DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT COST TO BUILD!?"

Octavius shouted back, "Do you know how much your little scheme cost _me!? _It cost me my career, my humanity!! YOUR SCHEME NEARLY COST ME _MY LIFE!!_ But I suppose _that _means nothing to you, does it!?"

Osborn merely looked at him and shook his head.

"Not really. You were merely a pawn in my scheme."

At that, Octavius snarled, picked up Osborn by the front of that stupid costume, and slammed him face first into the tower. Osborn fell to the floor, stood up, and plucked 4 small devices from a spot in his costume. The devices looked strangely like small metal bats... with razor tips... Without warning, Osborn threw the 'razor bats' at Octavius. The first 3 hit nothing as Octavius batted them away. The fourth struck Octavius in the shoulder.

Octavius merely flinched as he yanked it from his shoulder and threw it to the ground. He knew he was bleeding, but he was too fired-up to feel any pain at the assault. He ripped a chunk of masonry from the tower and hurled it at Osborn, who was struck in the 'face' by the brick. The helmet protected Osborn from being decapitated by the brick, but the impact still left him seeing stars. He leaped at Octavius, only to be smacked out of the air and back into the hard wall of the tower. Osborn pulled out a few more of the razor bats, only to be whacked in the arm by a tentacle. Osborn dropped the razor bats, screamed as the impact broke his arm, and fell to his knees, the pain tearing through his skull.

Meanwhile, Rosie was sitting there, too shocked to move as the fight played out before her. She had never seen Octavius like this! He looked thoroughly prepared to murder Osborn for what he had done, and she couldn't see him throw his life away like that. She screamed, "Otto, you don't have to do this! You don't have to kill him! The police know you're innocent! You don't have to fight him anymore!!"

Octavius looked at Rosie for an instant and said, his voice tinged with sadness, "You wouldn't understand. I can't let him hurt us like this again... I'm going to see to it he never hurts _anyone _again." With that, he walked over to Osborn and ripped off that stupid helmet so he could look him in the eyes. The look on Osborn's face was one Octavius had never seen there before: a look of naked terror. He grabbed Osborn by the back of the neck with a human hand and lifted him to his feet. He glared at Osborn, a look that had Osborn on the verge of another fear-induced heart attack.

"It's over, Osborn." Octavius growled, looking at Osborn with the look of an executioner about to carry out the sentence imposed on his victim. "You've done too much to me, to her, to this city. It's about time retribution is carried out." He looked out over the city, at Rosie, and finally, back at Osborn, who looks to have accepted his fate. Octavius glared at Osborn and said, "When you get to hell... tell them Otto Octavius sent you." With those final words, he slammed Osborn face-first into the tower as hard as he could, hearing the 'thunk' of his head hitting the brick, and watched as Osborn slumped to the ground, either unconscious or dead. He really couldn't tell, and he didn't care.

Octavius walked over to Rosie and said, "I'm sorry it had to end up this way..." He picked her up gently with his own two arms, grabbed Osborn with a tentacle, and descended the tower. Rosie could only look at Octavius, wondering how it had ever come to this. She knew he had done what needed to be done, but it was hard to accept it.

Finally, they reached the ground to find an entire squadron of police standing at the bottom. Octavius put Rosie on the ground and put Osborn in front of Captain Stacy, who was in charge of this particular operation.

"I'm not sure if he's dead or alive, but I had to fight him." Octavius said, in a near-whisper. "I couldn't let her die at the hands of this madman."

Captain Stacy didn't say anything as he knelt over Osborn, finding that he was still alive, but probably had one hell of a concussion. He stood up and looked at Octavius.

Octavius was silent a moment before saying, "And I suppose this is the part where you arrest me, isn't it?"

Capt. Stacy looked at his squadron, seeing them all shaking their heads. Stacy looked back at Octavius and said, "For what? Bringing the true bomber to justice?"

Octavius shrugged and said, "I assumed assault was a felony..."

Stacy snorted and said, "You know what? Screw charges. Screw felonies. This man doesn't really have any rights as of now, anyways. Besides, you didn't kill anyone. Take your lady friend and get out of here."

Octavius looked at Stacy, an eyebrow cocked.

"I mean it, Doctor. I'm not pressing charges." Stacy said, a half-smile on his face.

Octavius looked over at Rosie, who was standing there smiling. He looked back at Capt. Stacy and nodded thanks, before walking over to Rosie and saying, "You kept me from doing something very stupid up there, you know that."

Rosie nodded and said, "I couldn't watch you ruin your chance for a good life by being sent to prison."

Octavius was silent a moment, before he finally said, "Well, I suppose we'd better go find Curt before he has a heart attack, wondering what became of us."

Rosie laughed at that and said, "True, true..."

With that, they left the scene just as Osborn started to awaken. He looked up at Stacy and said, "H-He attacked me..."

Stacy shook his head and said, "Nice try, Osborn. We saw everything. We know the true story. You're under arrest."

A cheer broke out among the entire squadron at those words. Osborn simply looked down at the ground, knowing there was no use trying to escape... he knew when he was defeated, and this was the very definition of defeat...

--

Curt was still pacing the floor in the building Octavius had claimed as his hideout. He hadn't heard the news of how the fight had gone, and he was truly worried about what had become of his two best friends.

Needless to say, the feeling of relief at the sight of both Octavius and Rosie entering the building was immeasurable.

"You're both alive!" Curt shouted with glee as he ran over to them. "How did you both survive!?" He looked at Octavius and said, "And the radiation... it's not affecting you!?"

"We'll explain all that later." Octavius said, holding back a smirk. "As for now, let's get out of here."

The three of them left the building, unsure of what was going to come next. At the moment, none of them really cared...


	10. The End of the Beginning

**A New Beginning**

**Epilogue: The End of the Beginning**

_3 months later..._

_In the end, Norman Osborn had been charged with 2 counts of arson, and 13 counts of first-degree murder for the bombings. Captain Stacy had been as good as his word, and had not charged Octavius for what had transpired. Of course, no one really brought up the fact that Octavius had broken into Osborn's home in order to get the schematics and had assaulted him without reason only 3 days later... they considered it the act of a man desperate to prove himself innocent._

_Since Osborn had destroyed Rosie's apartment (Octavius still hadn't figured to call it 'their' apartment), they took up residence in the building in the East Village that had been where Octavius had hidden during the whole ordeal. He had turned the ground floor into his own personal laboratory, as he'd rather work from home, rather than for someone else. Considering the damage Osborn had done to his life, and the fact that he had no living relatives, Osborn's fortune had been turned over to Octavius. With the money, Octavius had been able to rebuild the reactor, this time with a little hired help... this time, he was running things, but he had preferred to do most of the work himself, as it was his passion in life... but he still couldn't figure out how to get the tentacles off. After a while, he just stopped caring that they were there. He had gotten used to them. The rest of the world was another story. They couldn't quite comprehend what had happened to him. He didn't care about that, either. Everything was as it should be._

_There was one matter, however, that was still incomplete... _

Curt walked up to the front door of Otto Octavius, Inc. He knocked on the front door, then heard a distracted-sounding, "Come in." Curt entered the building to find Octavius sitting at his desk, fiddling with a piece of circuitry.

"Hey, Otto, whatcha up to?" Curt said, an impish grin on his face.

Octavius didn't look up from the circuit as he said, "Just modifying the controls for the reactor..."

Curt said, "You can do that later. You promised me that one day you and Rosie would come over for dinner..."

Octavius finally looked over at Curt and said, "I did, didn't I? You mean right now?"

Curt nodded and said, "Yeah, I got reservations at a restaurant. We need to be there soon."

Octavius got out of his chair and said, "Alright, alright..."

Curt took a look at him and said, "You might want to change into something a little more formal..." A smirk crossed his face as he said, "I don't think they'll let you in like that."

Octavius looked down at the dark red sweater and khaki slacks he had been wearing and said, "Why wouldn't they?"

Curt shook his head and said, in an amused tone, "You are hopeless. Come on, I know you've got something formal around here..."

Octavius shook his head and walked into the upper level of the building, where his bedroom was located. He came back 5 minutes later dressed in a white Armani that Curt had never seen him wear.

"Do I seriously have to wear a suit?" Octavius said, in a low growl.

"Yes, or they'll never let you in." Curt said, that same smirk on his face. "Let's go."

--

_15 minutes later..._

When Curt and Octavius had entered the restaurant, Rosie was already waiting for them.

"Well, hello, you two." Rosie said, sitting there in a red dress and smiling.

Octavius took a seat and looked over at Curt, who was still standing. "Aren't you going to take a seat?"

Curt said, "Oh, right..." and sat down as a waiter walked over to the table.

"What would you like tonight?" the waiter said.

Curt looked up at the waiter and said, "I'll take a steak, medium rare, and..." he looked over at Octavius and Rosie and said, "What would you two like?"

"Whatever sounds good," they said in near-perfect unison.

Curt laughed and said, "So I'm assuming steak for you two as well?" He nodded and gave the waiter the orders, then watched him walk away.

Rosie was silent a moment before saying, "Well, I'm taking a walk out to the balcony." She stood up and said, "Care to join me, you two?"

Curt said, "No, I'm fine. I'll sit here and save this table. What about you, Otto?"

Octavius thought on it and said, "Sure, why not?"

He walked towards the balcony with Rosie behind him. It was a starry night, and they both looked up at the night sky.

They stood there in silence before Rosie said, "It's a beautiful night out tonight..."

Octavius did not respond.

Rosie looked over at him and said, "Almost makes you wish you could fly..."

Octavius only nodded as he looked up.

Rosie said, "You know, 3 months ago... I truly thought either you or I was going to die... I didn't expect it was going to end well... and well, it got me thinking... you were willing to sacrifice your life to save mine... it makes me think that maybe you're the one I'd like to spend the rest of my life with..."

Octavius looked over at her, wide-eyed, and said, "D-Do you mean..."

Rosie smiled and said, "I know it's usually the man that's supposed to do this, but I figured it would be easier on both if us this way..."

Octavius was still looking at her, now unable to form a rational sentence.

Rosie walked over to him, took his hands in hers, was silent a moment, and finally said, "Will you marry me?"

Octavius looked at her a moment, extremely lightheaded. He gripped the handrail of the balcony to avoid blacking out and said, "Wow... this was unexpected... of course I will... the answer is yes."

Rosie smiled and said, "That's all I ask." With that, she turned him around so he was facing her, threw her arms around him and pressed her lips to his. This time, he didn't pull away, and the moment seemed to last an eternity.

Finally she released him and said, still high off the moment, "I think we'd better get back to Curt before he thinks we disappeared off the face of the planet."

Octavius did not respond as he nodded in agreement, and they walked back into the restaurant, her knowing she'd made the right choice to ask him, and him knowing that _this_, and not the day he came to America, was truly the first day of the rest of his life...

_-Finis_

_--_

_**(A/N: WOOOOOOOOOO! The first multi-chapter fanfic I've actually completed!! Holy crap, this is a milestone for me. Expect a sequel, because this story shall continue!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! victory dance)**_


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